The petition of John Taylor of Spreyton, Devon, 1684
To the right wor[shi]p[fu]ll his Ma[jes]ties Justices of the peace for the county of Devon
The humble petition of John Taylor of Spraiton in the county aforsaid husbandman
<Sheweth>
That y[ou]r poor petition[e]r served his late Ma[jes]tie King Charles the first of eu[er] blessed memory in the late vnhappy warrs for the space of three yeares togeather vnd[e]r the com[m]and of Capt[ain] Gidley and during yt space was engaged in the seiges ag[ains]t Lyme and Plymouth and in routing the army of the enemies in Cornwall and in many other engagements services and hards[hi]pps during the s[ai]d warr neu[e]r any way deserting the said service but constantly manifesting his loyalty and Alleagiance to the utmost of his power and capacity therein And nott only vnd[e]rgoing hunger & cold & other like incidents to warr butt withall rec[eive]d a hurt in his right hand by meanes whereof y[ou]r petioner hath for a long time been in a great measure disabled to gett his liuelihood
Now y[ou]r petition[e]r being growne poor & aboue seventy yeares old and nott only by reason of his age but by meanes of the hards[hi]pps w[hi]ch hee endured in the fores[ai]d service and by meanes of his being soe maimed in his right hand vnable to gett his liuelihood by his labour humbly prayes this honn[ou]rable C[ou]rt of y[ou]r wonted clementcy to graunt him such annual penc[i]on as y[ou]r wor[shi]pps vpon due considerac[i]on of the pr[e]misses shall thinke p[ro]p[er] & y[ou]r pet[itione]r as in duty bound shall eu[er] pray &c.
The truth of this Petic[i]on is certefied by Bartho[lomew] Gidley
30 s. p[er] ann[um] & 5 s. in hand
[Overleaf:]
Soldier of Spraiton