To The Worshipfull Thomas Lane< no role > Esqr . Chairman of the Bench of Justices at
Hicks-Hall in the County of Middlesex And the rest of the Justices there Assembled

The Humble Petition of James Thompson< no role > Datty late of the Parish of Saint Andrew Holborn
in the County of Middlesex and now of the Parish of Saint Ann Westminster

Sheweth

That Frances Batty< no role > Yor Petitioners Mother being left a Widow & indigeat Circumstances did Apply for & Obtain the Charity
Given by the Will of the late Daniel Tanturier< no role > Esqr. for placing Out your Petitioner to some Trade or Business And William Chisholm< no role >
of the parish of Saint Ann Westminster having been (by some of his Particulare Friends) Strongly recommended to Your Petitioners
sd. Mother as (and no Other than) a Wood Carner in the General Way And of very great & Business And that all his Apprentices
Proved very geed Workmen And had When Out of their time as large Wages as are Usually Allowed to Journeymen being Artists in that
Way And a Treaty being had in pursuance thereof Your Petitioner after a time of Tryal At the desire & for the Satisfaction of the said William
Chisholm< no role > And Your Petitioner being too Young to Form any Judgment to the Contrary from what he had Seen there Did with the Consent
of his Sd. Mother On or about the Sixth day of November One Thousand Seven Hundred & Forty six Bind himself Apprentice to the
said William Chisholm< no role > for the Space of Seven Years then to Come in Order (Upon such the Recommendation & Character) to Learn
the Art of Curving in General And the said William Chisholm< no role > in Consideration of the Sum of Fifteen Pounds in hand paid by or by
the Order of Mr. Cheere the Executor Named in said Will Did Oblige himself to Teach or cause Your Petitioner to be Taught the
Art of Carving And also Guilding Which (the not mentioned on Treaty) Your Petitioner As well as his said Mother then thought
was a Branch belonging & Necessary to the said Art & Business of Carving

That during the time of such Tryal And till about the Month of July last Year some tollerable work was done but chiefly in the picture
France Way by a Journey man his said Master then kept but who then went Away And no other was Employed in the Shop or House of his said
Master or any Work done there but what was Performed by Your Petitioner And One Younger than himself a Son of his sd. Master till sometime
in July last And Which was no more that Picture Frances And of such low Value as Cannot as Your Petitioner humbly Conceives be
Deemed Carving or Proper at such a length of time to Improve or Instruct your Petitioner in such the true Art of Carving Neither as Your Petition
hath good reason to believe which Work allowed to be done in the Shops of any of the Masters of the sd. Art of Carving properly so called Such a [..]
be spoke being put Out to such as are only Stiled Frame Makers or whose business in Confined to the Glass and Picture Frame Way and
Yet such and no other hath been the constant Employment of Your Petitioner So that there is not the least Prospect of Your Petitioners [..]
Learning such the Art of Carving under his said Master or of Getting his Bread When out of his time as a Carver Especially as his sd. Master
hath never of himself done or Modelled any Work in the Carving Way for the Improvement of Your Petitioner

That for these Reasons your Petitioner for some time before July last Did by his said Month & Other Friends Apply to his said Master requesting [..]
[mark] Turn Your Petitioner Over to some other Master for the Remainder of the sd. Term that he might be Allot to get his Bread Which request the reasonable
for absolutely refused without being first paid the Sum of Forty Pounds and still Persists therein Or on other Equally Emersonable Demands
Altho hevery well knows that Your petitioner hath all along Notwithstanding these Discouragements behaved himself in the most Dutifull land
Submissive Manner Even so far as to do things no ways relating to the business And some for beyond his Strength And that your Petitioner cannot Learn
such the Art of Curving under him.

That this sd. Master hath upon some of the Friendly Applications made to him for the purpose aforesd. And not before Confessed himself to be no
Carve And that his Trade or Business related only to the Glass & Picture Frame making altho he in his Conscience very well known that
at the time of Treaty as well as of Binding he Prosessed & Stiled himself a Carver And Which Your Petitioner as well as his sd. Months
(as was then intended by him) Understood such Character so taken Upon himself to Denote Carving in General And not in such as
may relate to France Making only Or in any other Limited Sense of the Word And that is shod. be so Understood by Your Petitioner and
his said Mother And the better to remove all doubt therein She was Advised Previous to As well as at the time of Building as a
Necessary Qualification to Attain a thorough knowlege of said Art of Carving to Cause Your Petitioner to be taught the Art of Drawing
[..]