The petition of William Scott of Fillingham, Lincolnshire, 1658
To the R[igh]t Hon[oura]ble Lord the Lord Berry:
The humble petic[i]on of Will[ia]m Scott of Fillingham in ye County of Lincolne Labour[e]r.
Sheweth to yo[u]r hono[u]r.
That yo[u]r pet[itioner] haueing for the space of sixe yeares served the parliam[en]t & com[m]onwealth of Engl[and] vnd[e]r ye com[m]a[n]d of S[i]r John Wray Collonel Legard Ferdinando L[or]d Fairfaxe & oth[e]rs & haueing rec[eive]d in ye said service seuerall wounds (one especially at Nantwitch fight) whereby y[ou]r pet[itioner] is (to ye ruine of himselfe, his wife & Childr[e]n) made incapable of Getting his liveing by labour & thereby become not only a burthen to himselfe but troublesome to oth[e]rs. The pr[e]mises considered yo[u]r hono[u]rs poore pet[itioner] most humbly craues that yo[u]r hon[ou]r will be pleased to recom[m]end your pet[itioner] to ye Justices of peace at Spitle in ye s[ai]d county of Lincolne to take care, & to add, speedy reliefe to yo[u]r pet[itioner] in this his sad & deplorable condic[i]on according to ye ord[e]rs & direc[i]ons given to Justices of peace in ye like cases, & w[i]thout w[hi]ch yo[u]r hono[u]rs poore pet[itioner] is likely to p[er]ish, w[hi]ch will bind yo[u]r pet[itioner] &c.