Orders, Decorations and Medals

The Boycott Expedition, Lough Mask 1880, ‘In Honour of the Brave & Loyal Ulstermen’, struck silver medal by West & Son, 40 mm, the reverse inscribed ‘William Smyth’, nearly extremely fine and very rare £300-400

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, Medals from the collection of the late Mike Leahy.

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Major Boycott, a land agent who farmed an estate in County Mayo, fell foul of the Land Leaguers and was shunned by all the local people. Due to threats of violence to anyone helping to gather his harvest, Boycott arranged for a party of Orangemen from the Lurgan district to come south. Under army and police protection they succeeded in gathering it in and this medal was presumably struck to the order of Major Boycott for presentation to these men. This incident caused a new word to be added to the English language.