diff --git a/components/esm/cellref.cpp b/components/esm/cellref.cpp
index ef33f495f..c3b889df5 100644
--- a/components/esm/cellref.cpp
+++ b/components/esm/cellref.cpp
@@ -25,13 +25,13 @@ void ESM::RefNum::save (ESMWriter &esm, bool wide, const std::string& tag) const
 }
 
 
-void ESM::CellRef::load (ESMReader& esm, bool wideRefNum, bool ignoreRefNum)
+void ESM::CellRef::load (ESMReader& esm, bool wideRefNum)
 {
-    loadId(esm, wideRefNum, ignoreRefNum);
+    loadId(esm, wideRefNum);
     loadData(esm);
 }
 
-void ESM::CellRef::loadId (ESMReader& esm, bool wideRefNum, bool ignoreRefNum)
+void ESM::CellRef::loadId (ESMReader& esm, bool wideRefNum)
 {
     // According to Hrnchamd, this does not belong to the actual ref. Instead, it is a marker indicating that
     // the following refs are part of a "temp refs" section. A temp ref is not being tracked by the moved references system.
@@ -40,8 +40,7 @@ void ESM::CellRef::loadId (ESMReader& esm, bool wideRefNum, bool ignoreRefNum)
     if (esm.isNextSub ("NAM0"))
         esm.skipHSub();
 
-    if (!ignoreRefNum)
-        mRefNum.load (esm, wideRefNum);
+    mRefNum.load (esm, wideRefNum);
 
     mRefID = esm.getHNString ("NAME");
 }
diff --git a/components/esm/cellref.hpp b/components/esm/cellref.hpp
index 0fb449e16..e9959611b 100644
--- a/components/esm/cellref.hpp
+++ b/components/esm/cellref.hpp
@@ -100,9 +100,9 @@ namespace ESM
             Position mPos;
 
             /// Calls loadId and loadData
-            void load (ESMReader& esm, bool wideRefNum = false, bool ignoreRefNum = false);
+            void load (ESMReader& esm, bool wideRefNum = false);
 
-            void loadId (ESMReader& esm, bool wideRefNum = false, bool ignoreRefNum = false);
+            void loadId (ESMReader& esm, bool wideRefNum = false);
 
             /// Implicitly called by load
             void loadData (ESMReader& esm);