The petition of Thomas Woolstenholme of Tottington, Lancashire, 6 May 1652
To the right wor[shipfu]ll the Justices of Peace & Quor[um] nowe assembled att Manchester att the Quarter ssessions [sic.] there houlden. May vith 1652
The humble Petic[i]on of Thomas Woolstenholme.
Humbly sheweth vnto your good wor[shi]ps That whereas yo[u]r petic[i]oner being borne & brought vp in the parish of Bury and haveing beene a Souldier in the Parliam[en]ts service from the very beginning of the Warre till such time as the Companies were dismissed from souldiery, Then he returned to his Native place into Bury parish and hath there Inhabitted for the space of three yeares or thereabouts & not any waies chargeable or burdensome to the parish. Yett nowe soe itt is some of the Inhabit[a]nts of the said parish are will not p[er]mitt your petic[i]oner his wyfe & Family quietly to Inhabitt within the same parish but offer & goe about by all meanes possible to turne them out of the same parish and endeavour to pr[e]sent & endict all such as would sell them an house to dwell in for their money; onely because (as they alleadge) your petic[i]oner was out of the parish soe many yeares a Souldier and are affraid that hereafter hee may come to be chargeable to the said parish.
In tender Considerac[i]on wher[e]of maie itt please yo[u]r good wor[shi]ps to grant & give Order to the Church Wardens & Overseers of the poore for Tottington in the said Parish his Native place to fynd & provide for your petic[i]oner an house to dwell in for his money: Or att least that hee may be p[er]mitted quietly to Inhabitt & dwell in such house as hee himselfe can take to farme in the same Towneshipp and parish And your petic[i]oner shall praie &c
Wee whose names are subscribed doe conceive the Contents of this Petic[i]on to be true and desire your wor[shi]ps Order hee being an honest laboring man & of good goverm[en]t
[Illegible]
<the steward of Holcome>
Richard Lowe of Tottington
Jeremie Aynsworth of the same sen[ior]
John Brooke of the same [illegible] iu[nior]
Thomas Bridge de Burchhey
Richard Farnworth of ye same
Ellis Fletcher de Burch hey