Struggling with a few words

[Bookbox]

Compare the first  letter to  the  S in Sponsor which is more or less a right slant.  The second letter is then very much like an h as in This

Sorry, I can’t agree. As far as we can see the top of the S in Sponsors, it is different from this letter, which is clearly looped at the top.

If the second letter were h, the main downstroke on the left would be longer, long enough to sit on the line (as with the h in this, third, John, etc.), but this one isn’t sitting on the line. Granted it’s a subtle distinction, but it’s enough to persuade me that it’s not a letter h but part of a capital letter K.

The k in McLuskie, though lower-case, has the same form, with that extra kick at the end. Otherwise, counting the penstrokes carefully, you would have to read that name as McLushue, which isn’t likely.

[DudelsackHogg]

My curiosity got the better of me and I had credits on SP, so decided to splash out on the 1811 KEENON, CATHERINE (Catholic Registers Births and Baptisms MP 62 1 1 161,
Glasgow, St Andrew's) to see how it's written.

KEENON, CATHERINE Parents: JOHN KEENON / CATHERINE MCGERAGLE.

Also on the page MCCANNA, MARY Parents: CHARLES MCCANNA / ROSE KERR

and KELLY, ROSE Parents: JOHN KELLY / HELEN DURAS

[Bookbox]

Thanks for posting those images, DudelsackHogg. I think they clinch it, but let’s see what Lavender13 thinks.

(Interesting that this clerk writes the capital R of Rose and Robert in similar style to the K, with an extra curl at the end!)

[Rosinish]

decided to splash out on the 1811 KEENON, CATHERINE (Catholic Registers Births and Baptisms MP 62 1 1 161,
Glasgow, St Andrew's) to see how it's written.

KEENON, CATHERINE Parents: JOHN KEENON / CATHERINE MCGERAGLE.

Also on the page MCCANNA, MARY Parents: CHARLES MCCANNA / ROSE KERR

and KELLY, ROSE Parents: JOHN KELLY / HELEN DURAS

Great comparisons, I agree this definitely shows the difference between 'K' & 'Sh'...

Of course it's always an idea to seek out other instances of letter formation where there's doubt & this does prove the difference.

The 'Kelly' one was interesting to see as I actually know a chap (in my in-laws' family) with the surname Shelley.

Annie

[Rosinish]

I thought I'd add this too...

It's interesting to know, surnames can/do change over time as many were written how they sounded.

An example from the above list of surnames, based on an Irish accent...

McGeragle/McGarrigal (variants)
McCanna/McKenna (variants)
Kerr/Carr (variants)
Duras/Doris (variants)

Annie

[Lavender13]

Thank you everyone for your input. I really appreciate it. It seems to me that it is most likely to be Keenon. These records can be so tricky so I really appreciate everyone's time and effort to decipher this.