Black Mail

A rent or tribute formerly paid by the poorer inhabitants of some of the northern counties of England to some powerful Scottish border chieftain {poienti alicui Scoto limitaneo,) in order to be protected from the depredations of the Scottish border thieves, rievers or moss troopers.

Spelman.

Protection-rent, or protection money. Scott^s Minstrelsy of Scott.

Border f Introd

Sometimes paid to the rievers themselves. Ursk, Inst. b.

4, tit. 4, § 64.

The word mxiil in this compound is derived by some from the Fr. maille, a link of mail, or small piece of money. There is better reason, however, for regarding it as a Scotch term, signifying a renty or stated payment, which sense it has in the Scotch burrow meals, or burrow-mealis, (borough rents.) See Burrow-mealis. This makes the whole word synonymous with bkuik rent, in which sense it is used in the old books.

Stat, 9 Edw, III. c. 4. Blount.

It was called black mail from its being generally paid in baser money or in provisions, {csre vel opsoniis,) instead of silver. Spelman, Termes de la ley,