The petition of Robert Davyes of Devizes (St John the Baptist Parish), Wiltshire, 23 April 1661
To the Right Worr[shipfu]ll the Kings Ma[jes]ties Justices of the peace now Sitting att their Quarter Sessions in the Devizes for the County of Wilts[hire]
The humble Petic[i]on of Robert Davyes of the p[ar]ish of St John the Baptist w[i]thin the Borrough of the Devizes yeoman
<Humbly Sheweth>
That whereas yo[u]r petic[i]on[e]r haveinge a considerable estate in the place where he then lived, did in the beginning of the late warrs leave his sayd late house wife & two children & went unto ye late kings Ma[jes]ties service in the sayd late warrs where he contynued for the space of three yeares & a halfe as a Corporall in one of the Foote Companyes in the Regiment of the then Collonell S[i]r Thomas Salisbury and after ye same Regiment vnder the Comaund of S[i]r Charles Lloyd as namely sometymes vnder ye Comaund of Capt[ain] Robert Chaloner & sometymes vnder Capt[ain] Roger Williams both Captaines in the said Regim[en]t dureing w[hi]ch tyme your poore Pet[itione]r not only lost all his goods & estate he then had, being taken away by ye then Parliam[en]ts Forces But alsoe received in the said service seaventeene seu[er]all wounds in his head Face body Armes & hands, where amongst the rest he had parte of his Scull wasted & his head never since fully recou[er]ed & one of his armes made vselesse by ye sayd Wounds, And further sheweth that by reason of the said Wounds & ye great losse of bloud yo[u]r Pet[itione]r susteyned thereby yo[u]r Pet[itione]r hath almost lost the sight of his eyes & allmost the vse of both Armes Whereby he is made vnable to worke or vse any bodily exercise for & towards the gayneing of a liveliehood & meyneteyneance of himselfe wife & fower children his sayd wife & two of his Children became infirme alsoe in their bodyes and [?ar] Criples not able to gayne any thing towards releife Soe that yo[u]r poore Pet[itione]r is likely to suffer want without releife from yo[u]r Wor[shi]pps
May it therefore please yo[u]r good Wor[shi]pps the pr[e]misses seriously considered & out of yo[u]r Clemency & goodnes to comiserate ye sad condic[i]on of yo[u]r Petic[i]on[e]r his sayd wife & family, and for the better releife of yo[u]r Pet[itione]r & his sayd wife & family to graunt him a Pension for his life to be yssueing out of the Com[m]on Stocke of this County p[ro]vided by Statute for ye releife of maymed Souldiers and Marriners to be payd vnto yo[u]r Pet[itione]r in such manner as by yo[u]r wor[shi]pps shal be thought expedient:
And yo[u]r Pet[itione]r shall dayly pray &c
<Devizes }>
<23o Aprilis 1661 }>
Theise are humbly to Certifie the Right Wor[shi]p[fu]ll ye Justices abovesayd that the abovenamed Pet[itione]r Robert Davyes was to o[u]r knowledges a Corporall in the service of his s[ai]d late ma[jes]ties in the late warres in the s[ai]d Regim[en]t vnder S[i]r Charles Lloyd all the tyme of whiles the s[ai]d S[i]r Charles Lloyd was Gou[er]nor of the Castle of the Devizes & afterwards, & have heard & doe beleive that he faythfully served his s[ai]d Ma[jes]tie dureing all the rest of the tyme [illegible] & received such wounds as in the s[ai]d petic[i]on is menc[i]oned and that he is a poore man & hath a wife & 2 of his children very Infirme & wanting releife, in Witnes whereof we doe subscribe o[u]r selves
Yo[u]r wor[shi]pps humble servants
John Kent
William Groue
Robert Inge
Edward Pierce
Thomas Fowler sen[io]r
Joh[n] Walton
W[illia]m Hayes
<allowe him ii li. p[er] ann[um] North p[ar]te>