Civil War Petitions

(Petitions are available here to download as zipped Word files)

The Petition of Edward Bagshaw of Conisbrough to the West Riding Quarter Sessions, 1669

Strafford and Tickhill

To the Hono[ura]ble the Justices of peace for the West Rideing of Yorkshire.

The humble peticon of Edward Bagshaw of Conisbrough

Humbly

Showing that the peticoner being a souldier under Major Cole in S[i]r Philip Berrons Regim[en]t in his late Ma[jes]ties service did att Yorke receive many wounds & cutts in the head in somuch that yo[u]r peticon[e]r had nine bones taken out of his skull. And all that nourished yo[u]r peticon[e]r for three weekes he rec[eiv]ed in att a hole in the side of his head & was shott into the side of his body at the same tyme dureing w[hi]ch service he behaved himselfe civilly & ever since continued loyall to his Ma[jes]tie. And now by reason of his age & the said wounds is become very poore & unable to acquire maintenance for himselfe, his wife & Children by his owne hard labour. Wee therefore recom[m]end him to your wor[shi]ps consideracon as an object of Charity & a p[er]son very fitt to receive a pension if you in your wisdomes shall thinke fitt to bestow one on him. In testimony whereof wee have hereunto sett our hands this third day of Aug[ust] 1668.

We are credibly informed of the Truth of this petition & doe know your pet[itione]r to [illegible words – manuscript damaged] orderly person.

Jo: Vincent

Thomas Gill

Henry Saxton

West Yorkshire History Centre, Wakefield, QS 1/8/3/6/3, Pontefract Quarter Sessions, April 1669


The Petition of Elizabeth Carey to Charles II, 1662

[In right margin] The Peticon of Elizabeth Cary Widdow

To the Kings most Excellent Ma[jes]tie

The Peticon of Elizabeth Cary Widdow

Sheweth

That whereas yo[u]r Pet[itione]rs husband was slaine in yo[u]r Ma[jes]t[y]s service, & yt yo[u]r Pet[itione]r served yo[u]r sacred Ma[jes]tie & yo[u]r Ma[jes]t[y]s royall father (of blessed memory) in ye time of ye late war for w[hi]ch she was a great & constant sufferer in consideracon whereof yo[u]r Ma[jes]tie was gratiously pleased to settle a Pention upon her for terme of her life payable out of yo[u]r Ma[jes]t[y]s Excheq[ue]r.

Now so it may please yo[u]r Ma[jes]tie yo[u]r Pet[itione]r being old & decrepit, & not likely yo enjoy ye same long, having a sonn that followed yo[u]r Ma[jes[tie to Oxford (& was there bitten by yo[u]r Ma[jes]t[y]s Dogg Cupid (as yo[u]r Ma[jes]tie may happily call to minde) destitute of a livelihood & is like to com e to much misery after yo[u]r Pet[itione]rs death w[i]thout yo[u]r Ma[jes]t[y]s clemency & goodnesse, he having been a sufferer w[i]thy o[u]r Pet[itione]r by Imprisonm[en]ts & otherwise.

Wherefore yo[u]r Pet[itione]r most humbly prayes, That yo[u]r Ma[jes[tie (in consideracon of the premises)wilbe gratiously pleased to Grant yt ye Pention may be turned over to the said sonn Pet[itione]r Cary.

And yo[u]r Pet[itione]r (as in duty bound) shall ever pray &c.

The National Archives, State Papers 29/66/153


The Petition of Grace Battishill to the Devon Quarter Sessions, 1662

To the Right Hon[or]able the Justices of the peace of the County of Devon.

The humble petition of Grace Batishill of Plympstocke a poore distressed widdowe.
Humbly sheweth that your poore petitioner’s husband George Batishill was a loyall Subject to the late Martered Kinge Charles the First of most glorious memorie and well affected to his government and was in the late rebellious Times in actuall service for his majestie and an Ensigne under the comand of Captaine Anthonie Sterte by reason whereof his goods both within dore and without were all plundered by the parliament partie and at last in a fight called Haltnesdayes fight wastaken prisoner and carried into the Towne of Plymouth and there unjustly and Inhumanely hanged for his loyaltie and your poore petitioners Turned todores [sic] having nothinge but the Charitie of well disposed people to susteyne her in necessities contrary to law, equitie and good Sconcyence [sic]; all wch by a certificate truly appeareth.

In tender consideracon whereof and for asmuch as he was verie loyall and not only lost all his estate and your poore petitioner likewise undon but also hanged for his loyaltie upon whose life your poore distressed petitioner mayteynance and livelihood consisted your petitioner beinge aged and not able to maynteyne herselfe by labour and no remedy at law his majesties most gracious act of oblivion haveinge prevented the same but your honours goodnesse and Clemency in cases used.

Doth humbly pray that your honours would be pleased to grante her a competent pension out of the County stock and your poore petitioner will ever as in dutie bound pray for your honours health prosperitie and happines.’

Grace Batishill

[No endorsement on reverse]

Devon Record Office, QS128/102/1


The Petition of Henry Norton to the Northumberland Quarter Sessions at Hexham, 12 July 1710

To the hono[ur]able Bench

The Petition of Henry Norton of Turfe house in the p[ar]ish of Hexham & Countey aforesaid

Humbly Sheweth yt y[ou]r Petition[e]r is a very poor man aged near upon 90 years, having a wife & three children, & wanting friends hath noe dependence for subsistence without the charitable help of well disposed p[er]sons, And being through de age debilitated with Infirmity & weakness to travel in order to Crave ye Charity of pious minded people Is in great Likelyhood of starveing together with his said family without ye special assistance of this honourable Bench; of whom he craves help in this his extream want & miserable & deplorable Circumstance; And whereas it is well known he hath been a True Loyalist to the Crown of Great Brittain a sufferer in Carrying Armes under Charles the first of blessed memory dureing all the time of his Troubles, And then after in the service of Generall Monk under the Com[m]and of Lord Widdrington and soe Continued till the bringing in of Charles ye second to his Crown & dignity And having ever since his desisting from Arms lived Credibly & honestly & been of a good life & Conversation & a True Member of ye high Church of England, & whilst he was in Condition to stir about in order to make a life by honest labour & Industry was in such state & Condition as that he not only lived Commendably of himselfe, but also was helpful to others till age seized upon him. Insoemuch that what was Gathered by his honest Endeavours is wholly exhausted & spent upon ye maintainance of his family; & having had three sons from whom he expected Assistance for three years & upwards and at this Juncture in the Queens service, He is thereby destitute of all Relief without yo[u]r honourable help in this behalf.

Wherefore begs a Charitable ear to this his deploreable Circumstance, And that out of pious Consideration had to the p[re]mises, you will gratiously be pleased to Grant him by order of sessions such weekly Allowance from the said p[ar]ish as may be thought competent towards the supporting him & his said distressed family, And yo[u]r Petition[e]r.

As in duty bound

Will ever pray &c.

Northumberland Archives, QSB, Quarter Sessions File 32/28


The Petition of Julian Vildew to Devon Quarter Sessions, 1648

For his Ma:ts Justices of the peace or to whom this shall come:

The Humble peticon of Julian Vildew of the parish of Whimple in the County ofDevon widow:

In most humble manner Complaininge sheweth unto your good wor[shi]ppsthat about the beginning of the breaking out of the rebellion inthe kingdome of Ireland yo[u]r peticoners husband together withhis sonne went as volunteers into the said kingdome of Ireland*for the Parliament service* in wch kingdome yo[u]r peticoners husband was in service mostInfortunatelie slaine, leaveinge yo[u]r peticoner an aged, decrepitand poore widowe, having nothing at all left her wherewith to subsist and not able to get her maintenance by reason of her ageand faylings of her sight, yo[u]r pet[itioners] humble request thereforeis in consideracon of the p[re]misses that some allowance might begiven yo[u]r said pet[itioner] (out of the monyes that is nowe to be paid out of the parish of whimple towards the releife of maimed Souldiersand Souldiers widowes & Children) according to an ordinance of Parlia[me]nt in that case made & provided whereby to relievethis your said pet[itioner] in her old age, and yo[u]r pet[itione]r will as she is in dutybound ever pray for yo[u]r wor[shi]pps health & happie p[re]servacon of the same.

Phil Herle m[i]n[iste]r
John Pridham Richard Lackington [mark]
Jo: Salter } constables: Clement Westcott [mark]
William Sander
Robert Sander
Rich Goff } churchwardens: William Packer [mark]
signed Willia[m] Peryam
signed Thomas Sander
William Huchings [mark]
Signed John Hayman [mark]
John Slowcome
Anthony Havill [mark]
signed John Westcott [mark]
Jo: Peryman
John Milles
signed Willia[m] Fincher [mark]

Devon Record Office, QS Box 53


The Petition of Rowland Harrison to the North Riding Quarter Sessions, 1685

To the Right Hon[oura]ble his Ma[jes]ties Justices of the Peace Assembled at ye Quarter Sessions held at Thirsk.

The humble Petition of Rowland Harrison of Whitby

Humbly sheweth,

That your Petitioner was a soldier under the command of Sir Lewis Dives in one of the Troopes of Prince Ruperts Regiment when our soveraigne lord King Charles the ffirst Pitcht his standard first at Nottingham, and was in the Engagem[en]t at Worcester and afterwards at Edgehill, and was at the takeing of Banbury, and at Branford ffight where they took ffive hundred prisoners and ffive pieces of Ordinance, and was at the taking of Malbury [Marlborough], And when they went to take Sisester [Cirencester?] yo[u]r Petition[e]r was taken prisoner on Candlemas Eve and lay in the Goal at Glocester until the second day of May following. When he gott out of Prison came into their owne Troo[p] at Abbington, and after was engaged with Sir Arthur Hasslerigg whome they rooted, and then march’d into the West and was at ye taking of Larpool [Liverpool] and then came to York fight at Hessam Moor and there was beaten by the Parliaments forces, after March’d into Wales where they had their quarters beat up at Welchpool. after was in the engagement in Nasebrough ffeild where yo[u]r Petitioner was one of the Nine that Escaped out of Three and Thirty that went out of Prince Rupert Regiment. Afterwards yo[u]r Petitioner was kept Eight Weeks in Prison at Esome where hee with seaven and Twenty more broke ye prison and gott away, and was at severall other engagements where they beat up their Enemies quarters and yet hath hitherto lived by his labour without being Burthensome to his Ma[jes]ty or the Country, but being now about Seaventy years of Age and grown infirme and haveing a Wife and family to maintaine humbly prays some small pension for ye releife of his Necessities.

And your petitioner shall [manuscript damaged]

Wee whose names are under written being inhabitants of Whitby have for many years past known the Petitioner & have heard of his services to his Ma[jes]ty soe as wee doe verily believe the contents of this Petition to be True. And we doe know yt ye Petitioner hath bene always a laborious paines taking man.

I believe the contents of this Peticon to be true having heard the same confirmed for more then thirty years yt the Peticoner hath bin known to me.

H. Cholmeley

Lu: Bagwith

Wm: Bagwith

I doe beleive ye contents of ye petition to be true

Durand Hotham

Rob[er]t Porrison?

Edward Keild

Hen: Lisle

Rob[er]t Rymer

Chris: Prousglove

North Yorkshire County Record Office, Northallerton, QSB/1685/259, Thirsk Quarter Sessions, 1685