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You are here: Home / Language / How Did Scotland Yard Get its Name and How Did the Nickname for the English Police HQ Originate?

How Did Scotland Yard Get its Name and How Did the Nickname for the English Police HQ Originate?

July 2, 2020 by Karen Hill

In the tenth century, in an effort to stop hostilities between their two countries, the English gave a Scottish king land in London with the provision that he build a castle on it and live there for a few months every year.

Seven centuries later, with the two nations united under one king, the land returned to English ownership.

In 1829, the London police took up residence on the land, which by then was known as Scotland Yard.

In modern usage the term Scotland Yard, also called New Scotland Yard, is often used as a metonym for the British Metropolitan Police, and occasionally for the entire UK police-force.

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Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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