The petition of William Yorke of Coggeshall, Essex, 23 April 1655
<Coggeshall Mag[na]>
<April 23th 1655>
To the Hon[oura]ble Courte of Generall Quarter Sessions for the County of Essex Assembled at Chelmsford
The humble petition of William Yorke
Humbly Sheweth
That whereas yo[u]r Petitio[ne]r was imployed in the late warres and ingaged in the fights at Yorke Marston More Nasby Briston Newberry Lamport and many others Twoe yeares and more and receiued very dangerous wounds and knoweing not of any generall releafe to be had, haue by his industry made shift for a hard liveing hetherto but nowe by reason age groweth upon him and his wounded partes of his body very paynfull disableing him from worke sufficient for livelyhood {an}d haueing 4 small children of his owne and 2 of his wives and finding himselfe vnable to subsist without releife and the Towne being soe extraordinarie full of necessitous poore people that releife cannot be aforded him
Wherefore yo[u]r Petitio[ne]r Humbly pray this Honour[a]ble Courte to commisserate his Condition and to graunt him som small yearely pension that he may keepe himselfe wife and Children from perishing
And yo[u]r Petitio[ne]r shall pray
Rob[er]t Crane
W[illia]m Tanner
William Cox
H. Hubbard
[Three illegible words]
<Petic[i]ons and Certificates Easter Sessions 1655>