The petition of the private soldiers of Nantwich, Cheshire, Michaelmas 1651
To the Right Wor[sh]ip[fu]ll the Justices of Peace at this p[re]sent Sessions
The humble Petic[i]on of all the private Souldiers lately raysed in Namptw[i]ch for the Militia
Sheweth
That yo[u]r Petic[i]on[er]s being Tradesmen and of Manuall Employm[en]ts and many of them haueing Families, and none of them any thing at all to subsist on, [illegible] to releife & mayntayne themselues and Families, but what by their hard labours and industrious paynes they dearely buy, and seeing at the late Expedic[i]on yo[u]r poore Petic[i]on[er]s were selected and their names returned by the Gent[lemen] & others in Namptw[i]ch to bee inlisted in the Regim[en]t of Col[one]l Croxton and to serue for the s[ai]d Towne, and therevpon yo[u]r petic[i]on[er]s were Constrayned to goe (though otherwise willing to serue the Parliam[en]t if there estates were any way Chargeable to find or Contribute therevnto, yet to incourage yo[u]r peticon[e]rs the Capt[ain] ou[er] them did p[ro]mise them advance Money, or soe much as others that hyred, did giue, neu[er]theles though yo[u]r petic[i]on[e]rs were in great hazard & danger in the publiq[ue] Service themselues; at their returne home, many of them found the Towne soe backward in alloweing them any Advance, as they Caused themselues (not w[i]thstanding their owne travells, hazards & paynes) to bee Contributors to their owne pay & mayntaynance though not legally Chargeable by the Acte of Parliam[en]t in that Case p[ro]vided.
May it therefore please yo[u]r wor[shi]pps to make such order whereby yo[u]r petic[i]on[e]rs may receiue such satisfaction from them (that are legally Chargeable w[i]thin the s[ai]d Towne) for their extraordinary hazardous Travells, as any others that hyred in their owne roomes to goe did giue; and alsoe to order that yo[u]r poore petic[i]on[e]rs may not (ag[ains]t the Act) bee Contributors to their owne pay, but that it may bee repayd them, and imposed onely on such as are Chargeable by the s[ai]d Act to find or Contribute towards the Souldiers of the Militia.
And yo[u]r petic[i]on[er]s shall pay &c
<referred to S[i]r Henry Delues & Mr Mainwaring & Col[one]l Croxton>