To the Right Honourable Sr. William Stewart< no role > Knt . Lord Mayor of the City of London and to the Rest of his
Majestys Justices of the Peace at their Generall Quarter Sessions Assembled.

The Humble Petition of George Fosesck< no role > William Spinnage< no role > Thomas Emerton< no role > and Francis Nichols< no role > .

Sheweth

That Sr. Edward Becher< no role > Knt . Alderman of the Ward of Bishopsgate in the said City by a Warrant dated the fifteenth
day of Aprill 1721 Appointed your Petitioners (together with the Churchwardens of the parish of St. Botolph Bishopsgate in the
said City and Ward) Overseers of the Poor of the said Parish for the Year then ensueing and in Pursuance thereof your
Petitioners and the said Churchwardens on the twenty ninth day of the same Month made and signed a Rate for the Releife
of the Poor of the said Parish according to the Statute in that case made and provided and the said Sr. Edward Becher< no role > being
applyed to for his Confirmation thereof did on the ninth day of May following confirm the same with a Restriction for collecting
the money Quarterly.

That your Petitioners were willing to have collected the said Rate by quarterly parts at the beginning of each
respective Quarter which they apprehended was the intention of the said Restriction and would have enabled them to
have relieved the Poor from time to time as Occasion required But severall Parishioners and particularly the Comon
Councill Men and pretended select Vestry Men of the said Parish meerly with an Intent to give Your Petitioners
Trouble and Expence in the Execution of their said office And to oblige them of Necessity to advance their own Money for
the Reliefe of the Poor gave out that the said Rate was become a quarterly Rate payable on the four quarter Days, And
under that pretence they and many others by their perswasion refused to pay any part thereof till the determination
of each Quarter respectively And thereby disabled your Petitioners from raiseing Money sufficient for reliefe of the
Poor as fast as it was wanted without a warrant for levying it by Distress whereupon your petitioners applyed severall
times to the said Sr . Edward Becher< no role > for such warrant but could not prevail upon him to grant any, Otherwise than for
each quarter part of the said Rate after the expiration of each quarter respectively

That your Petitioners being advised by their Council That the said Restriction was void and not warranted by the
said Art of Parliament whereon the said Rate was founded and that therefore the said Confirmation was absolute and
Seperate Distresses could not be legally made at seperate Times and for severall parts of each or any persons.
proportion of the said Rate the whole [..] charged on each person being and entire sume and not severable and
the Necessitys of the Poor of the said Parish requireing imediate Reliefe Your Petitioners in Michas Term 1721 were under
an absolute Necessity to Move, and by their Councill did move his Matys Court of Kings Bench for a Mandanus to be
directed to the said Sr. Edward Becher< no role > requireing him to grant your Petitioners a Distress warrant on the said Rate
And accordingly after severall Motions in Michas and Hillary Terms 1721 the said Court granted a Mandamus for a
distress warrant for levying the whole Money remaining unpaid of the Money Assessed in the said Rate on each person
respectively and a Mandamus was accordingly made out and delivered to the said Sr . Edward Becher< no role > who
thereupon granted your petitioners such Distress Warrant as thereby requires.

That when your Petitioners year as Overseers expired and New Overseers were made and appointed
[..] Edward Becher< no role > of the moneys by them paid and received and