The petition of Martha Lane of Salisbury, Wiltshire, undated
To the right wor[shi]pfu[ll] the Justices of the peace of the County of Wilts[hire] sitting for the generall quarter Sessions for ye s[ai]d county
The humble Petic[i]on of Martha Lane of ye Citty of Newe Saru[m] in the County aforesaid.
Humbly sheweth
That whereas yo[u]r Pet[itione]rs late husband for & during the space of seven yeeres was actually in armes for the Parl[ia]m[en]t, & was in ye late exped[ition] into Scotland where yo[u]r Pet[itione]rs husband lost his life in that service (as appeares by a certificate vnder the hand of Collo[ne]ll Tomlinson in whose troope he served) to the vtter vndoeing of yo[u]r Pet[itione]r & two small children, for whose supportance yo[u]r Pet[itione]r hath pawned & sold all that ever she hath, & must of necessity p[er]ish vnles yo[u]r Wor[shi]ps take some course for their livelyhood
In Considerac[i]on whereof yo[u]r Pet[itione]r humbly craves yo[u]r Wor[shi]pps to take her [illegible] disconsolate condic[i]on into yo[u]r serious Considerac[i]on (& according to the act of Parl[ia]m[en]t for Widdowes & orphans in that behalfe p[ro]vided) allow some pension to be paid yeerely for & towards the mainten[a]nce of yo[u]r Pet[itione]r & two Children
And yo[u]r Pet[itione]r with her Children shall be bound to pray &c
<3 li. 10 s. penc[i]on yearly from the Tresurer of the South p[ar]te>