Middlesex

At the General Session of the Peace of our Lord the
King holden in and for the County of Middlesex at
the Session House for the said County on Monday the
Twenty third day of February in the Twenty ninth
Year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord George the third
King of Great Britain Etc. Before William Mainwaring< no role >
Rice Davies< no role > , Castern Rohde< no role > , David Walker< 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 John Brown< no role > Apprentice to James Sheppard< no role > of Milbank Street
Westminster in the said County Taylor Hath at this present Session Exhibited his
Petition and Appeal setting forth That by Indentures of Apprenticeship bearing
date the 1st. day of August 1785 He was bound Apprentice to the said James Sheppard< no role >
for the term of Seven Years And the said James Sheppard< no role > in Consideration of Ten
Pounds Paid him by the Petitioners Father Convenanted to teach and instruct him
in the Art and Mystery of a Taylor and to Provide for him in Manner as in the
said Indenture is mentioned, That the Petitioner had duly served the said James
Sheppard< no role > under such Indentures for the space of 3 Years and an half and upwards and
that from about 6 Weeks after he was bound to the present time his said Master had
at divers times Misused and wil treated him Particularly by refusing him necessary
Provisions and without any just Cause or Reason frequently very violently beat and
bruised him sometimes with a large Stick and sometimes with his Fist until the
Blood had gushed out from his Nose and Mouth and frequently dragged him about
by the Hair of his Head and after such Treatment had locked him up in a Garret without
Food and at one time his said Master took up an Iron Poker and threatened to
Knock his Brains out with it and Murder him and at another time threw a large
Pair of Shears at him with great violence which very fortunately missed him And
having informed his said Master that if he continued such ill treatment he should
apply to his Father for Redress He said if his Father came there he would serve
him in the same manner That at one of the times when his said Master had
been beating him and He had cryed out his said Master had put his Thumbs