The petition of William Stiffe of Burton on Trent, Staffordshire, October 1675
To the Right Hon[ou]rable the Justices of the peace For the County of Stafford humbly shewinge yo[u]r honers that yo[u]r Peticoner William Stiffe of Burton upon trent haueinge a Wife and three Children and one of them haueinge the falling sicknes & Confullson fitts and not able to helpe himselfe and yo[u]r Peticoner beinge himselfe Lame this seuerall yeares and not able to doe Worke any Longer yo[u]r poore petteconer was many yeares in the Late Kinges seruice under the Comand of Capt[ain] Hull in S[i]r Ralph Duttens Reidgem[en]t and yo[u]r poore petecon[e]r humbly begeth yo[u]r assistance towards the grantinge which way I and my Children must be Releiued For yo[u]r poore petec[i]oner is not able to susteine any Longer and yo[u]r Pettecon[e]r will be euer bound to pray for yo[u]r Honners.