The petition of Nicholas Smale of Taunton (St James’s Parish), Somerset, ?13 July 1652
<Somersett s[ession]s>
To the right wor[shipfu]ll the Justices of Peace now assembled at Taunton,
The humble petic[i]on of Nicholas Smale of Taunton James.
Humbly sheweth.
That the petic[ione]r for severall yeers late past in the wars hath manifested his good affection to the Parliam[en]t by appearing in actuall service against the Com[m]on Enemy. That in the beginning of the late wars the petic[ione]r vnder the Com[m]and of the Earle of Stanford marched into Cornwall and there receiued seu[er]all wounds yett to be seen. That att the seidge of Oxford by the Parliam[en]t forces the Petic[ione]r was com[m]anded forth by the Con[sta]bles of the said parish and in obedience to that Com[m]and he w[i]th others marched to Oxford where (vnder the Com[m]and off Col[one]l Bagstar in Capt[ain] Youngs company the petic[ione]r rec[ieve]d a mayme in his hand By meanes of w[hi]ch woundes & mayme he is altogeather disabled to worke for the mayntennance of himselfe & famyly, who wholy depend on his dayly Labours, so that for the space of 3 yeeres last past the petic[ione]r w[i]th his famyly haue been wholy exposed to the charitable benevolence of their fryends for subsistence, otherwise they should have perished for want.
The premisses considered the petic[ione]r humbly prays the Court would please to order him some moneys to be paid him out of the Trea[su]ry for Maymed Souldiers for the tyme past, As also giue order for a standing penc[i]on to the petic[ione]r as yo[u]r wor[shi]]ps in mercy & wisdome shall thinke meet. And the petic[ione]r shall ever pray.