Agricultural History Review, Volume 74 Part 1 (2026), pp. 91–137

Using Irish Land Commission records consisting of maps and correspondence this article details and assesses how the Land Commission acquired and redistributed some of the untenanted lands connected to Farnham estate in county Cavan, Ireland during the period 1924 to 1930. The negotiations between the Land Commission and the firm of solicitors representing the owner of these lands Arthur Kenlis Maxwell, 11th Baron Farnham (1879–1957) are captured in an extensive and at times robust correspondence that centred around finalizing the land that the Land Commission wished to acquire, how much it was prepared to pay for these lands, Lord Farnham’s retention of the shooting and hunting rights over these lands and the Land Commission’s delay in taking them over. Maps within the Land Commission records, redrawn for this article, trace the process from initial inspection to the redistribution of 246 acres of untenanted land. Those allocated these lands included existing farmers from the locality who were assigned additional land and several farmers from outside the area who ‘migrated’ from other parts of county Cavan. This represents a highly unusual and test case study, because of its access to and usage of the normally ‘closed’ Land Commission records. It reveals the Land Commission as a powerful yet pragmatic entity in dealing with landowners such as Lord Farnham, that through a gradual and negotiated process was able to balance a range of interests and demands and still achieve its goals.