Weapon licensing following the 1798 Rebellion and prior to the 1843 Registration Act. County Cavan.

        A sample of weaponry registered in the Barony of                     Castleraghan, County Cavan between 1799-1832

The headings of name, residence and parish are of note but of particular interest to us are the columns detailing the types of weapons being licensed i.e., "Guns, Pistols, Blunderbuss, Swords and Bayonets and of course the registration dates. 

It should be remembered that weaponry had been licensed in some form in Ireland since the Sieges of Limerick, culminating in the Treaty of Limerick in 1691. The above list endorses the fact that following the rebellion in 1798,  legislation was still very much alive, the earliest registration here being 1799.

This legislation was the forerunner to the Registration Act of 1843 which resolved that not only were weapons to be licensed but were also branded with the licence number and county prefix.

We are always interested to know of any registered weapons under the 1843 Act.

David Stroud. ramrodantiques.co.uk