" BLACKMAIL."

Marlborough Express, Volume XLII, Issue 90, 15 April 1908, Page 2

" BLACKMAIL."

The etymology of the expression "blackmail" is historically interesting. It appeai-s to have its origin on the Scottish Border, and dating from times when frequent political feuds between the then two kingdoms of the islands tacitly justified a sort of perennial terrestrial buccaneering as between Borderers of each realm. Many of these depredators were outlaws on both sides of the Border. Their neighbouring victims, to save their cattle from being lifted, sometimes compounded for safety by an annual payment as insurance to the bandit. This fee not only gave them immunity from him, but entailed him to protect: them from rival freebooters. It was their "mail," or "protection." The ' mail" coach was so named because it had its armed guard with loaded blunderbuss on the dickey; but the mail paid by Border farmers was not for' honest royal protection, but for guardianship by thieves and hence was "black" mail, the colour of black being typical of what was nefarious, whether in art _ or. in guardianship, while the guardian of this stamp-was known as the "black-guard" of the district.. The !last-njamed, later«day term of reproach seems to have obtained its expression originally as here described.