oh, charles ...

Charles was born in Norfolk, England in 1823. he came to Ireland to work as a land agent for a landowner in the Lough Mask area. as part of its campaign to protect tenants from exploitation, the Irish Land League withdrew the local labour required to harvest the crops for which Charles was reponsible. when he tried to undermine the campaign, the League launched a crusade of isolation against him in the community: neighbours were convinced not to talk to him; shops would not serve him; people in church would not sit near him; and his physical safety was threatened.

the ostracization of this man was such a cause celebré in the British media that his name became immortalised by the creation of a new verb. His full name? Captain Charles Boycott

~with help from wikipedia (the best online encyclopaedia)