Source 3: widows

Transcript

The humble petition of Collonell John Moore a Member of the honourable howse [house] of Commons and the well affected Inabitants of the Nine adjacent [neighbouring] parrishes unto Liverpoole together with many hundred of widdows and fatherlesse Children, whose husbands and fathers lost their lives, and estates when Prince Rupert [the nephew of Charles I], with his barborous popish [Catholic] Army.

Sheweth, That your petitioners to theire uttmost abilities resisted the great Army of Prince Rupert when hee beleagared [attacked] Liverpoole where they lost theire estates, and many of your Petitioners howses [houses] were burned and others dispoyled [plundered] and much ruined, and many of your petitioners husbands were barborously massacred and the rest imprisoned and all dispoyled and robbed of theire estates to the value of 30000li [30,000 pounds] and upwards…

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A petition from ‘many hundreds of widows of Liverpool’ to a Parliamentary Committee that dealt with confiscated lands.

  1. What does this source tell us about what happened when a city came under attack during the civil wars?
  2. What might it have been like to live through a civil war siege as a civilian?
  3. What could have been the reason for these widows and children joining together with Colonel John Moore in order to send their petition?