The petition of William Holt of Wade’s Green, Cheshire, Epiphany 1663
To the Wor[shipfu]ll the Justices of the Peace for the Countie of Chester in their Generall Quarter Sessions for the Countie afores[ai]d.
The humble Petic[i]on William Holt of Wade Greene in Dutton Lor[dshi]pp in ye said County
Humbly Sheweth
That yo[u]r poore pet[itione]r served the late King Charles of ever glorious memory as a Troop[er] vnder the Comand of the right wor[shipfu]ll S[i]r Thomas Aston for the space of foure yeares and a halfe in Oxfordshire Edgehill Brainford Cornwall and severall other places, And in all that time received but little pay, and in the said service vnderwent great hardshipps colds and numednes whereby your poore petic[i]on[e]r is almost wholly incapable of getting any livelyhood for the maintenance of himselfe wife and 3 children w[hi]ch must wholly bee gotten by his day labour, haveing no trade or other way of livelyhood.
Yo[u]r poore petic[i]on[e]r therefore most humbly implores yo[u]r tender considerac[i]on of the pr[e]misses, hopeing therevpon yo[u]r wor[shi]pps will order a yearly pension for the releife of himselfe and Family, for the sake of his said Ma[jes]tie and of o[u]r now most gracious King Charles, who yo[u]r petic[i]on[e]r humbly beleives would have his fathers faithfull Souldiers releived and requited
And yo[u]r poore pet[itione]r shall ever pray &c