after the 1688–91 revolution the bishops continued their interest in municipal politics with a view to parliamentary influence; and in the eighteenth century bishops were frequently of the great borough-owning families, and were often borough managers on their own account. the method of securing borough control through dependents was one which was sometimes acted upon by the bishops who were in control of boroughs. it was chiefly through the clergy, as freemen in irishtown and cashel, as members of the corporation in clogher and armagh, and as freeholders at old leighlin, that the irish bishops were able to maintain an easy hold on their boroughs, and, with the boroughs thus in their possession, to use the power of nomination to the house of commons to their own advantage in the church. the influence enjoyed by the bishops probably accounts for the abortive motion in the house of commons in 1710, "that leave be given to bring in the heads of a bill to prevent the promotion of any spiritual person for reward."