The Origins of Black Monday in English

King Edward's forces were struck by a freak thunderstorm. The storm battered the troops with hail and lightning. It was reported that many men died during the storm, some while sitting in their saddles on top of their horses. English chroniclers started to refer to this event as Black Monday. This is widely believed to be the origin of the phrase 'Black Monday' In the 1700s school children started to associate the term with the day after the Easter holiday - so it came to refer to the first school day or work day after a vacation.