The petition of Oliver Bonden of Springfield, Essex, 1646
To the right honor[a]ble & wor[shi]p[fu]ll his Ma[jes]ties Justices of the Peace assembled at the Quart[e]r Sessions at Chelmsford, the humble Petic[i]on of Oliver Bonden of Springfield husbandman.
Humbly sheweth that wheras your poore Suppl[ican]t hath onely two sonnes, who hath have from the beginning of these warres served the Parliam[en]t as horsemen, & have discharged their trust w[i]th fidelity & Credit, till it pleased god that one of them, p[ar]tly by a bruise w[hi]ch he got by a fall of his horse slayne under him at Newbury fight, and p[ar]tly by much watching, and want of good provision and looking to afterward, hath gotten a very grievous fistula in his back, of w[hi]ch hee hath now line these 18 months & upwards under the surgions hands, to the utter undoing of your sayd suppli[can]t, who is growne farre in yeares, & his wife sickly & lame, so that they are like to come to great want & misery in their old age. And although the Parish also at the request of the Minister in the Church, hath Contributed freely (the times considered) to his reliefe, yet by reason of their great charge of surgery & other necessaryes still required, your s[ai]d petition[e]rs sonne is like speedily to p[er]ish, unlesse some further meanes bee used for his present reliefe. These are therefore humbly to beseech yo[u]r hon[ou]rs & wor[shi]ps, that you would bee pleased to allowe some meanes unto yo[u]r s[ai]d suppl[ican]t, wherewith to satisfy the surgions for the Cure, (w[hi]ch thing they are in good hope in convenient time to effect) and to mainteine him during the s[ai]d Cure, That so his miserable parents may not see him perish under their hands, for want of necessary reliefe. W[hi]ch if yo[u]r Petic[i]on[e]r shall obeine, both hee & his especially his wofull & misera{ble} sonne, shall for ever rest obliged to pray for the increase of your hono[u]r & happinesse.
Wee the minister & Inhabitants of Springfeild doe testifie that wee know the greatest p[ar]t, & doe beleive the rest of the Contents of this petic[i]on to bee true.
Isaac Joyner
Willia[m] Abrooks
Tho[mas] Toppine
Pa[ul] Tethrington
John Bromely
w[illia]m Raymond
Tho[mas] Goodwin
John Cole
Thomas odin formewell
Richard Saman
Thomas [?Tasen]
John mellburn
John Tirell
Tho[mas] Chamberlaine
Richard church
John Flecher
[?Louance] Rachel
Thomas Scoot
John Baker
Robart [?Emvour]
John greaty
Denis Wright Sen{ior}
Denis Wright Juner
Thomas Hoart
John [?Whist]
George [?anye]
James fowler
Oliver clayson
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