Middx.

At the General Session of the Peace of our Sovereign Lord the King holden for the
County of Middx at Hicks Hall in Saint John Street in the County aforesaid by adjournment on
Friday the sixth day of December in the twenty fifth year of the reign of our Sovereign
Lord George the second King of Great Britain Etc before Merry Teshmaker< no role > John
Dekewer< no role > Richard Charmberlayne< no role > Walter Berry< no role > Esquires and other their Fellows Justices of
our said Lord the King assigned to keep the Peace in the County aforesaid and also to hear
and determine divers Felonies Trespasses and other Misdeeds committed in the same
County.

Whereas George Bewley< no role > exhibited his humble Petition unto this Court at this
present General Session of the Peace begun and holden for the County of Middx on
Monday the second day of December instant Setting forth That the Petitioner by
Indenture of Apprenticeship bearing date the two and twentieth day of May One
thousand seven hundred and forty six was bound an Apprentice to James
L'heureux of the Parish of Christ Church Spittlefields in the said County of Middx
Watchmaker for the Term of seven Years And that the Petitioner hath since
that time faithfully and diligently served his said Master as his Apprentice for
the Space of five years and upwards during which time the said James L'heureux< no role >
hath frequently in a cruel and barbarous manner beat and abused the Petitioner on
very slight Occasions and hath refused to let him have any Fire to work by in the
coldest Weather and hath also frequently fed the Petitioner with sticking and
unwholsome Victuals and so high seasoned with Pepper, Salt and Vinegar that
the Petitioner could not eat the same without endangering his Health And that
the said James L'heureux< no role > hath only instructed the Petitioner in one branch of
his Business which is Movement making and hath neglected and refused to instruct
the Petitioner and bring him forward in the finishing part of his Business which is
most material and which he ought to have done And that by reason of the ill
wage and cruel treatment which the Petitioner hath constantly received and met
with from his said Master and also of the many and terrible threatenings Oaths and
Imprecations which his said Master hath used towards him without any
Provocation the Petitioner verily believes he is in great danger of some bodily
harm being done to him if he continues to live with his said Master And that
the Petitioner having very lately been cruelly beat and abused by his said
Master without any Provocation was obliged to get a Warrant from a
Magistrate against his said Master and had him bound over to this present
Session of the Peace for the said abuse And the Petitioner therefore humbly
prayed that he may be discharged from his said Apprenticeship or that the said
James L'heureux< no role > may by Order of this Court be compelled to turn the Petitioner
over for the remainder of his Apprenticeship to some Person of the same
Trade that is capable of instructing him and that a proportionable part of the
money which was paid with the Petitioner to his said Master may be