On Tuesday, I went to a lecture held by Lancaster University’s Centre for War and Diplomacy on Theory and Practice in Military Medicine during the English Civil Wars: New Evidence from Civil War Petitions by Ismini Pells. This was obviously of interest given the period, but also because one of my students a couple of years ago used some of the early documents on Civil War Petitions site to write his dissertation. She began by noting that early modern medicine has been reassessed a little in recent years but it’s taken a while to filter through to early modern military medical studies. She then outlined the ways in which the early modern English state supported maimed soldiers, pointing out that in 1642 it was extended to widows and orphans. In 1647 pensions were only granted to parliamentarians, then after the restoration they had to have been royalists. They had to petition the quarter sessions of their home county, and they were supported by military commanders and sometimes surgeons. They might get a pension – an annual sum for the rest of their life – or a gratuity (a one off payment).

One of the most frequent causes of wounds during the Civil Wars was gunshot wounds, partly because they were a common form of weapon. Guns were less powerful and accurate than they are now, but the shot tended to flatten on entry to the body and there was little armour. Injuries from bladed weapons were less common. This might be due to the better protection provided by armour worn by those carrying weapons. There were also fewer of these soldiers. But the highest number of petitions was for old age, with advancing age exacerbating war wounds.

Many of the wounds were found on the arms and legs, which is partly explained by the fact that petitioners had to show that they were prevented from working, but is also explained by the fact that wounds to the torso and head were often fatal. Ismini then went on to compare the treatment which the soldiers receivedfrom their surgeons with the types of treatment recommended by published medical treatises both from England and the continent.

There were some really interesting questions around the professionalisation of medical services for the soldiers, and around the ways in which it served the local community to support a petition for a pension because it took the responsibility for financially supporting the petitioner away from the parish.

As the Civil War Petitions site is growing all the time, I thought I’d run a quick search for John Balshaw, and lo and behold he appeared supporting a Brindle petitioner’s case to the Wigan quarter sessions in 1676!