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From: Pádraig Ó Gealagáin <>
Subject: [LIMERICK] Freeholders and Freemen of the Co. Limerick
Date: Wed, 2 Jan 2002 18:42:43 -0500
References: <010a01c19312$57771180$560e540c@4ladz> <3C32EBD7.1030608@ozemail.com.au>


I don't think, Nick, my view is in any way jaundiced. It
is generally conceded that the designation of 'Freeman' was
corrupt from almost the beginning, it just reached the
pinnacle of corruptness, as you also read, during the
Vereker regime, triggering the Act of Reform in 1823 (?)

No personal replies - reply to LIST only, please. Thank
you.

Pádraig+

----- Original Message -----
From: "Nick Reddan" <>
To: <>
Sent: Wednesday, January 02, 2002 6:15 AM
Subject: Re: [LIMERICK] !! Connaught Journal; July 28, 1823


> Cathy I am replying to this and your earlier posting on
freemen and
> freeholders. I will try to step back from Padraig's
jaundiced view.
>
> Ancient corporations such as Limerick corporation
consisted of freemen
> who elected the officials of the corporation including
the mayor and
> sheriff. Legally one could become a freeman by service
in an
> apprenticeship to a freeman or as the eldest son of a
freeman or by
> marriage. In many corporations the mayor could appoint
one or two
> freemen each year. Moreover, the corporation often
awarded the honor of
> freeman to people who had provided service to the
corporation. This
> sort of behaviour is illustrated in the records of the
Cork Corporation
> and the Youghal Corporation which are published in Albert
Eugene CASEY's
> wonderful collection O'Kief, Coshe, Mang etc. The major
benefit in
> early times of being a freeman was the exemption from
local taxes or
> tariffs.
>
> In Limerick, as is discussed in an article in the North
Munster
> Antiquarian Journal 4(3) 1945 pp103-30, the VERECKER
family (Lord Gort)
> had gained corrupt control over the corporation and
essentilly stacked
> the freemen with people who would maintain them in power.
Moreover they
> denied registration to those with legitimate claims to
being a freeman.
> There were several litigations over these actions and
as part of their
> campaign to hold on to power the Verecker family
destroyed many of the
> records
>
> The article however gives an index of freemen. There is
another
> manuscript index in the Society of Genealogist in London
that overlaps
> with that of the article but has some additional names.
The latter list
> appears to have been prepared c1800 perhaps as part of
one of the
> litigations. This index is annotated when the person is
thought to have
> been deceased.
>
> The corruption was overturned by the "Limerick Regulation
Act, 1823".
> In my site I have a couple of newspaper entries
regarding the battle
> for control of the Corporation c1820 and a couple of
lists of voters.
>
> The North Munster Antiquarian Journal is also known as
the Journal of
> the Limerick Field Club and the journal has been
published in microfilm.
> The National Library of Australia has the following
entries.
> North Munster Antiquarian journal [microfilm] Thomond
Archaeological
> Society.
> Published: [Dublin, Ireland] : National Library of
Ireland, Photographic
> Dept., [1974]
> Description: 1 microfilm reel
>
>
> Call number: mfm 1788
> Holdings: Vol. 1, no. 1-v. 1, no. 4; v. 2, no. 5-v. 3,
no. 12 1897-1900;
> 1901-June 1908
>
> Title: Journal of the Limerick Field Club [microform]
> Published: [Dublin, Ireland] : National Library of
Ireland, Photographic
> Dept., [1974]
> Description: 1 microfilm reel.
>
>
> Regards
>
> Nick
> http://members.ozemail.com.au/~nickreddan/
>
> Cathy Joynt Labath wrote:
>
> >Connaught Journal
> >published Galway, Ireland
> >Monday, July 28, 1823
> >
> >INDEPENDENCE OF LIMERICK
> >Letter
> >Of Thomas Spring RICE to the Inhabitants of Limerick
> >
>
>
>
>
> ==== IRL-LIMERICK Mailing List ====
> GENUKI: County Limerick
http://home.pacbell.net/nymets11/genuki/LIM/index.html
> IGP Co. Limerick: http://www.rootsweb.com/~irllim/
> Limerick GenConnect Board
http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/genbbs.cgi/Ireland/Limerick
> Ireland GenWeb:
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Parthenon/6108/limerick.htm
> McCarthy Home Page with many Limerick Records:
http://wexlababe.home.att.net/
> Civil/Catholic Parishes:
http://www.connorsgenealogy.com/LIM/Parishes.html
> Jane Lyons' From-Ireland Co. Limerick Page:
http://www.from-ireland.net/contents/limerickconts.htm
>


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