Middlesex

At the General Session of the Peace of our Lord the King
holden in and for the County of Middlesex at Hicks Hall in Saint
John Street by adjournment on Thursday the fourth day of June
in the eighteenth year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord George
the third King of Great Britain Etc Before Sir John Hawkins< no role >
Knight the Reverend Sir George Booth< no role > Baronet David Walker< no role >
Thomas Brooksbank< no role > Esquires and others 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 misdemeanours committed in the same County

Whereas Peter Kearnan< no role > Son of Thomas Kearnan< no role > of the parish of Saint
James Clerkenwell Did at the General Session of the Peace held for the said County
of Middlesex in the month of February last Exhibit his Petition and Appeal setting
forth That by certain Indentures of Apprenticeship dated the 22d day of March 1777
the Petitioner (now of the age of 12 years or thereabouts) by and with the privity consent
and approbation of his Father put himself Apprentice to George Freeland< no role > of the liberty
of the Rolls in the parish of Saint Dunstan in the west in the County of Middlesex Stationer
to learn his Art and with him after the manner of an Apprentice to servehimfrom
the date of the said Indentures for the term of 7 years and the said George Freeland< no role >
received as an apprentice for 20 Guineas That the Petitioner lived with the said.
George Freeland< no role > from the month of February 1777 until Tuesday the 6th of January
1778 and the said George Freeland< no role > previous to the Petitioners being bound to him used
the Petitioner in a proper and decent manner but immediately after the Petitioner was
so bound to him the said George Freeland< no role > entirely altered his conduct and has
frequently beat and ill used the Petitioner without any reason or cause whatsoever
and has at times given the Petitioner unsound and improper meat and Food but
never did during the time the Petitioner so lived with him allow or give the Petitioner
a proper or sufficient quantity of Victuals and has on the Petitioners requiring more
Victuals used him very ill and sent him little Scraps and has frequently declared
the Petitioner should breakfast on the Fat of Bacon That one night in the month of
September the said George Freeland< no role > was much intoxicated and been swearing at and
abusing his wife (Mrs Freeland) in a very gross manner and the Petitioner being
in the said George Freeland< no role > 's Hitchen when Mrs Freeland then was and laughing
at his folly and improper behaviour Mrs Freeland without speaking to the Petitioner
caught hold of the Poker and made a Blow at the Petitioners Stead but the Petitioner