Customs House, Dublin: Notice.

Notice to Dealers in Gun-Powder and Sellers of Arms.

Customs House

Dublin

March 19th 1806.

Ten years following the introduction of this law the Commissioners of  His Majesty's Revenue were feeling short changed!

This legislation was not only implemented to stop the importation of weapons into Ireland but was in effect being sold as a form"protectionism" but in reality it was passed in order to restrict the manufacture of Arms in Ireland. . As can be seen some gunmakers and gun-powder dealers flouted this law.

The smuggling of firearms into Ireland continued so much so that arms were already engraved on the mainland to a given Irish gunmaker. Once landed in Ireland to a licensed dealer they could not be easily identified as "imported". However, many caches of arms were intercepted. The cattle boats being a popular route.

The above notice is evidence of the restrictions the Government had put on the Irish guntrade in an effort to reduce the availability of Arms to the private sector having already dismantled the Irish Board of Ordnance and transferred this to London.

In future blogs we will look at various arms caches unearthed en route to Ireland.

Dave Stroud. R.A..