E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Whiteboys.
A secret agrarian association organised in Ireland about the year 1759. So called because they wore white shirts in their nightly expeditions. In 1787 a new association appeared, the members of which called themselves “Right-boys.” The Whiteboys were originally called “Levellers,” from their throwing down fences and levelling enclosures. (See LEVELLERS.)
