HC Deb 13 March 1885 vol 295 c1064
MR. BIGGAR

asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether it is a fact that at the time James Lord, of Mount Nugent, county Cavan, got a licence to carry arms he was not holder of any land; and, if not, what notice will he take of the conduct of the two magistrates who certified he was a landholder?

MR. CAMPBELL-BANNERMAN

It appears that James Lord was not a holder of land at the time when he got his licence. The certificate which described him as a farmer was therefore erroneous in this respect; but it is reasonable to suppose that the point to which the magistrates were directing their attention was the fitness of the applicant to carry arms rather than the exact description of him in the form, and as Lord is stated to be a young man of excellent character, who would probably have obtained a licence on such a recommendation whether he was a farmer or not, I am disposed to regard the matter as an oversight which calls for no further action.