The petition of Thomas Preston of Forton, Lancashire, 13 January 1674
To the Right worshipp[fu]ll his Ma[jes]ties Justices of peace & Quoru[m] assembled at the Sessions of peace holden at Lanc[aste]r the 13 day of January 1673
The humble petition of Thomas Preston of Forton in ye p[ar]ish of Cockerham and County of Lanc[aste]r aforesaid
Sheweth
That whereas yo[u]r petition[e]r having been A souldier in his late Ma[jes]ties service vnder the Com[m]and of the Right worshipp[fu]ll Sir Thomas Tildesley in Captaine Reinkers Company of foote, vntill the death of his said Captaine who was slaine at Yorke battell when & where yo[u]r petition[e]r was sore wounded, being both stab’d and cut in many places of his body, who hath ever since been lame by reason of his wounds that he rec[eive]d in the aforesaid service and was never since able to goe straight. And after the said battell {?at} Yorke, he betooke himselfe to his native place, within the said par{ish of} Cockerham, where hee hath ever since remained a faithfull and L{oyal} subject to his late Ma[jes]tie of blessed memory, and to his Ma[jes]tie that n{ow is} and never at all deserted them in the least. And whereas yo[u]r poore p{etitioner} having for seu[e]rall yeares been a sharer in yt gracious allowance Pro{vided} for the reliefe of such maimed & indigent soldiers as faithfully served {his} late Ma[jes]tie in the late wars, till the last yeare that he was denyed thereof but for what cause the same is now discontinued to yo[u]r poore petit[i]on[e]r hee knows not, his lamenesse growing more & more vpon him, and his substance whereon hee hath to live being but smale
May it therefore please yo[u]r good Worshipps to take the pr[e]misses into yo[u]r Judicious & serious considerac[i]ons and to grant order that yo[u]r poore petition[e]r may be continued A sharer in the aforesaid alowance, {illegible} in such wise as to yo[u]r wor[shi]pps wisdom {shall seem} meet & convenient, and yo[u]r petitio{ner shall} ever pray as in duty bound &c.
Wee whose names are here subscribed are being neighbo[u]rs to this p{etitioner} are bold to certifie that wee doe fully believe the pr[e]mises to be tru{e}
Lawrence Shawe Vicar of ye aforesaid Parish.
John Kitching
Tho[mas] Sketson
Tho[mas] Lawrance
<Mr Cole is desired to examyne the cause wherefore & if he find none to restore him>