I didn’t know the term “boycott” was coined after Charles Boycott, an English landlord agent in Ireland.
In the 1870s, Boycott was a landlord agent for Lord Erne, owner of 40,000 acres in Ireland. Boycott was responsible for collecting rents and evicting tenants who couldn’t pay.
In 1880, famine conditions caused poverty and death in western Ireland. Many farmers were evicted from their lands.
Boycott’s local community decided to make an example of him.
Farmers working on lands he oversaw “boycotted” what was left of the upcoming harvest. He was shunned by his neighbors, and local shops refused to serve him.
After Boycott wrote a sob letter to The Times, 57 volunteers and 900 soldiers went from England to Ireland to harvest the lands he oversaw. In the end, £10,000+ was spent to save a £350 harvest.
The Boycotts left Ireland following the incident. Another agent family took their place.
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