Hi Jack, Checking the Irish BMD I think there is a distinct difference between Spearing & Spearin, maybe one is Catholic and the other is Protestant. I have come accross this before, the Protestant Murphy's in Tralee decided in the later census of the 1800's or is it Censi to call themselves Morphy to distinguish themselves, I have photo's of their headstones in Ballyseedy C of I cemetery. I think in the Luke Spearman case it was a transcription error, a one off Check the different spellings here, they give different results http://pilot.familysearch.org/recordsearch/start.html#p=2;t=searchable;c=1408347 Brendan ----- "Jack Crowley" <[email protected]> wrote: > Andrew Spearing was Mayor of Cork in 1835. The date tells that he was > a > protestant, probably Church of Ireland. > At that the local government in Cork was controlled by the Freemen of > the > City. They were self perpetuating body who dished out all the > appointment, > jobs and sinecures paid for out the City Purse. The Freemen did > include a > minority of Catholics. The Freemen were in turn controlled by "The > Friendly > Club". This was a group controlled by certain merchant families such > as > Besnard, Perrier etc. they looked after themselves very well until > the > system was reformed about 1841. That was the end of that but the > influence > of these men continued for a very long time. They held various > appointments > such as magistrates. Police Court was well down the line. > > You may 100% sure that Andrew was a member of "The Friendly Club" ans > was > also probably a freemason. > > Read on from Cork City Council website > > Municipal Government in the Nineteenth Century > The Protestant gentry, aristocracy and professional classes had > dominated > Cork Corporation since the late 17 th century. Although there were > divisions > between the landed Protestant gentry from the county and their > co-religionists from the city who were engaged in commerce and > trading, the > Protestant interest had controlled Cork Corporation since the > mid-seventeenth century, excepting the brief period of Jacobite rule > during > the 1680s. In the early 19 th century and right up to the first local > elections after the reforming legislation of 1840, Cork Corporation > was > effectively controlled by members of 'The Friendly Club', a clique > which > consisted exclusively of members of wealthy Protestant families. 'The > Friendly Club' itself was dominated by members of the Perrier, Besnard > and > Gibbings families. Ian d'Alton, a leading authority on 19 th century > Protestant Society in Cork has described the pre-1841 Cork Corporation > as 'a > large and well-run patronage operation. Its principal function was to > supply > a small group of interconnected families with offices of profit and > honour.' > The wealthy Catholics chafed at being excluded from political power > and > campaigned against their exclusion at both national and local levels. > The > Municipal Corporations ( Ireland ) Act (1840) marked the end of > Protestant > domination of Cork Corporation. The local elections held in October > 1841 > returned a Catholic majority which elected a Catholic mayor. For the > first > time in almost two centuries the Catholic merchant class was the > dominant > political class in Cork City . The change in the political power > structure > did little to help Catholics or Protestants among the working class > who > continued to 'enjoy' poor housing, unemployment and poor wages. While > the > trade union movement put down strong roots in Cork during the century, > much > of the political energy of the working class went into the great > national > question of self-government for Ireland. Municipal government in > Ireland was > reformed again with the passing of the Local Government ( Ireland ) > Act of > 1898. > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] > [mailto:[email protected]] > On Behalf Of Dennis Ahern > Sent: 16 February 2009 17:13 > To: Margaret Spearin > Cc: [email protected]; [email protected]; > [email protected]; [email protected] > Subject: Re: [Mallow] Spearin Spearing and variants > > > On Sun, 15 Feb 2009, Margaret Spearin wrote: > > > I am a Spearin from Limerick and am having trouble linking my > Spearin > > family to other Spearin familys here. I am thinking my Spearin > Spearing > > family came from Cork. Any help appreciated on this. I have Luke b > 1833 > > but cant find where he was born. He died in Limerick in 1900 > > Here are two Spearings from the Irish death notice database on the > IrelandOldNews.com website > > SPEARING, Joseph; 49; Cork City COR IRL; Cork Examiner; 1864-7-18; > dja > SPEARING, William "son of late Francis"; ; Cork City COR IRL; Cork > Examiner; 1865-1-28; dja > > Also see http://www.irelandoldnews.com/Cork/1847/MAR.html#19 for a > news > report in which a Spearing appears to be sitting as a magistrate in a > Cork > Police Court. > > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > Dennis Ahern | Ireland Newspaper Abstracts > Acton, Massachusetts | http://www.IrelandOldNews.com > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes > in the subject and the body of the message > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message