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Charles Cunningham Boycott

Treasurer of Lord Erne's estate

Boycott, a captain in the British 39th Infantry Regiment, after retiring in 1873 accepted a position as treasurer of Earl Erne's estate in the Irish county of Mayo. He managed the estate with a firm hand, which he did to the local community. 1)

Boycott

He managed lands with a firm hand, which caused a lot of harm to the local community. Too high rent and numerous evictions caused protests of local residents in 1880. They decided to ignore Boycott. Journalists covered the course of this conflict. Thus, the term boycott was coined after Charles Boycott, meaning the severing of business or social relations. 2)

Joyous celebration

On the day of Charles Cunningham Boycott's death, aged 65 and “bankrupt”, almost the entire Royal Navy, with their admirals and bands, lined up in the Solent and beyond; sirens wailed, flags and pennants flew in the warm breeze, and church bells rang loud and joyous throughout the length and breadth of Britain. 3)