The petition of Joseph Smith of Marlborough, Wiltshire, c.1650
To the wor[shipfu]ll the Justices of ye Bench
The humble petic[i]on of Captaine Joseph Smith
humblie Sheweth that yo[u]r petitio[n]er hath been a faithfull servant to ye p[ar]liam[en]t ever since these vn=naturall differences began & hath receiued divers wounds in their service; and at ye siege of Redding was dangerously shot through ye thigh and on ye foot w[i]th w[hi]ch wounds & others hath lyen seu[er]all times vnder ye Chirurgeons & others to his extraordinarie cost & charges att his fathers house Marlebrough & ye Bath; and hath lost the vse of his limbes and susteined great losse by the enemie; hee haueing bought 16 or 17 horse & armes at his owne charge to serve the Parliam[en]t; and his father being often plundered & Robbed by them not able to relieve yo[u]r peticio[n]er (if willing) yo[u]r peticio[n]er farther sheweth yt w[i]th those dangerous wounds hee receiued was conceiued to bee dead & soe made him vncapable of receiueing his areares, and yo[u]r peticio[n]er being this Countrey man borne & inhabitted here wherefore ye pr[e]misses considered & weighed in ye ballance of mercie & clemencie yo[u]r peticio[n]er conceiues himselfe a fitt obiect for yo[u]r wor[shi]pps to relieve being intrusted for ye reliefe of maimed souldiers by the p[ar]liam[en]t as you haue directions by an ordinance on ye 28 of May 1647 to settle him a penchion for his subsistance yt hee may not perish for his faithfull service don for ye Com[m]on wealth of England and in soe doeing yo[u]r peticio[n]er shall ever pray &c.
allocat[e] v li. of the monie in Mr Joyes hands And a penc[i]on of x li. quarterly to begyn at Mich[aelmas] from th[reasur]er of the North p[ar]te