Bean Feast (1789)

[Bapopik at AOL.COM]

   "Beanfeast" has been discussed on both rec.food.historic and 
alt.usage.english.  The discussion is--well, see for yourself:
  
(REC FOOD HISTORIC)
  <A HREF="http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&q=author:halcombe%40subdimension.com+">halcombe</A> (<A HREF="mailto:halcombe%40subdimension.com">halcombe at subdimension.com</A>)
Subject: Origin of the 'beanfeast' 
Newsgroups: <A HREF="http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&group=alt.history.british">alt.history.british</A>, <A HREF="http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&group=uk.food%2Bdrink.misc">uk.food+drink.misc</A>, <A HREF="http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&group=rec.food.historic">rec.food.historic</A>
Date: 2003-08-02 19:38:09 PST 
    
A wealth of theories on the origin, one of which might even be accurate, 
here:<A HREF="http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=d7fa3848.0307281628.7ca4a008%40posting.google.com">
http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=d7fa3848.0307281628.7ca4a008%40posting.google.com</A><A HREF="http://posting.google.com/post?cmd=post&enc=ISO-8859-1&msg=d7fa3848.0308021838.29ff9869%40posting.google.com&gs=/groups%3Fdq%3D%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26frame%3Dright%26th%3D1e090fbf0b69fbc2%26seekm%3Dst6pivo45chhfo9g90hj8dtdaqkib4qq1c%25404ax.com">
    
  
</A>Message 2 in thread 
From: <A HREF="http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&q=author:richwrig%40tig.com.au+">Richard Wright</A> (<A HREF="mailto:richwrig%40tig.com.au">richwrig at tig.com.au</A>)
Subject: Re: Origin of the 'beanfeast' 
Newsgroups: <A HREF="http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&group=alt.history.british">alt.history.british</A>, <A HREF="http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&group=uk.food%2Bdrink.misc">uk.food+drink.misc</A>, <A HREF="http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&group=rec.food.historic">rec.food.historic</A>
Date: 2003-08-02 22:22:15 PST 
    
When in doubt consult the OED:
bean-feast.[f. bean n. + feast n.]a. An annual dinner given by employers to 
their work-people. Also,(colloq.) any festive occasion. Hence bean-feaster.
1805 Sporting Mag. XXVI. 304/2 At a late bean feast, a GentlemanTaylor, 
celebrated for his liberality, gave a rich treat to his men,at his occasional 
country residence. It was called a Bean Feast; but,exclusive of the beans, the 
table literally groaned with bacon [etc.].
1875 W. T. Vincent Warlike Woolwich 49 The holiday on the second Saturday in 
July, which is a special and extra holiday, known as_Bean_feast day', and is 
usually spent in excursions to some countryplace and a dinner, at which beans 
form an indispensable dish.

  
(ALT.USAGE.ENGLISH)
From: <A HREF="http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&q=author:halcombe%40subdimension.com+">halcombe</A> (<A HREF="mailto:halcombe%40subdimension.com">halcombe at subdimension.com</A>)
Subject: Re: ?Beanfeast' derivation 
This is the only article in this thread         
Newsgroups: <A HREF="http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&group=alt.usage.english">alt.usage.english</A>
Date: 2003-08-02 19:29:33 PST 
    
halcombe at subdimension.com (halcombe) wrote in message <A HREF="http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=d7fa3848.0307281628.7ca4a008%40posting.google.com">news:<
d7fa3848.0307281628.7ca4a008 at posting.google.com></A>...> >>As I suspected, the story of the ‘
beanfeast' generated correspondence(conveniently appearing in each edition on page 4 
col 5, under thehead ‘Under the Clock' – usually, clicking three or four 
times on thetext brings up the whole piece in its own window, with rather large 
rtype; sometimes, the software doesn't work, and it comes up inpieces).
Aug 9‘More Beanfeasts Two more - quite different - beanfeast derivations. One 
traces it back to the Roman Saturnalia, when children drew lots with beans 
who shouldbe king. In Christian times this became the "Feast of the Three 
Kings", and the bean king or bean queen plays an important part in oldTwelfth Night 
revels. Another derives it from the Gaelic "beanfeis","a wedding". But surely 
this is rather a far journey.'You don't say….
Aug 12 (penultimate ‘par' – or, these days (I believe) ‘graf')‘A Falmouth 
correspondent suggests that "beanfeast" is the Frenchbienfaisance - in the 
sense of bounty, benevolence, etc - and thinks the French Catholics brought it 
into England. Lady Byles, on the otherhand, falls back upon Plutarch - certainly 
a very apposite passage inthe Life of Pericles:"It was a hard matter to keep 
back the Athenians" (after the Samiannaval victory)," so Pericles divided the 
whole multitude into eight parts, and arranged by lot that that part which had 
the white bean should have leave to feast and take their ease while the other 
seven were fighting. And this is the reason, they say, that people when atany 
time they have been merry and enjoyed themselves called it whiteday in 
allusion to this white bean."
'Aug 14 ‘The correspondent who supplied me with one of the original 
derivations of "beanfeast" writes:Attempts to find an ancient derivation for 
"beanfeast" are futile,because the word is quite modern. It does not occur in 
Englishliterature until 1882, in which year some London compositors werepromised for 
their annual outing "a beanfeast at a rural inn." I couldfind the periodical in 
which the word was first printed. My derivationof the term from the feasts on 
beans and bacon given by Daniel Daybeneath Fairlop Oak was not a guess, but a 
certainty. There arepatriarchs still living in East London who remember the 
original"beanfeasts".'
Aug 16 (final par)‘The oddest derivation of "beanfeast" I have received comes 
to-day.The writer traces most of our ceremonies to "Church-works", and 
proceeds: Our Tansies [1] at Easter have reference to the bitter herbs: thoughat the 
same time 'twas always the fashion for a man to have a gammonof bacon and 
beans to show himself to be no Jew (thence ourbeanfeast).'
Aug 17‘There seems to be very little doubt that my correspondent whoasserted 
that the word "beanfeast" does not occur in English literature before 1882 
must be mistaken, for I am assured by anotherman that it is mentioned in an 
edition of Brewer's "Phrase and Fable,"which he bought in 1871. A third tells me 
that an annual "beanfeast"was an institution in the building trade till the late 
'seventies, andonly disappeared after the strike in connection with the 
building ofthe Law Courts. It would seem to be quite old if another suggestion 
isgood, that the real origin of the phrase is to be found in the Middle English 
bene - (no connection with the French bien, but a derivativeof the Anglo-Saxon 
bén, a prayer, in allusion to the "alma" which wentto the making of the bean 
feast). They were certainly a feature of thebuilding trade "beanfeast", assuming 
a form, according to my informanton this subject, remarkably like 
blackmail.The popularity of bacon and beans in England is certainly very long establish. 
I am indebted to yet another correspondent for thefollowing interesting little 
ditty, written by the poet Jenyns (who sat is Parliament for Cambridgeshire 
in 1847):Who thinks that from the Speaker's chair The sergeant's mace can keep 
off care, Is wondrously mistaken;Alas! he is not half so blestAs those who've 
liberty and rest And dine on beans and bacon.'And that's that.FWIW, my 
dead-tree collection supplies the following:
1 SOED: 1806 [From beans being a prominent dish] An annual dinnergiven by 
employers to their work-people. Hence ‘beano' (slang,originally printer's 
abbrev[iation]) also a merry time or spree.
2 Brewer's ‘Phrase and Fable' (reprint of 1894 edition): Much the same as ‘
wayz-goose'. A feast given by an employer to those he employs.Brewer describes ‘
wayzgoose' thus:‘An entertainment given to journeymen, or provided by the 
journeymen themselves. It is mainly a printers' affair, which literary men and 
commercial staffs may attend by invitation or sufferance. The word ‘wayz' means 
"a bundle of straw" and ‘wayzgoose', a "stubble goose",properly the crowning 
dish of the entertainment. The Dutch ‘wassen'means "to wax fat".  The Latin ‘
anser sigatum'."In the midlands and north of England, every newspaper has 
itswayzgoose." Pall Mall Gazette June 26th 1894'[1]   <A HREF="http://www.birdnature.com/apr1900/cakes.html">
http://www.birdnature.com/apr1900/cakes.html</A><A HREF="http://posting.google.com/post?cmd=post&enc=ISO-8859-1&msg=d7fa3848.0308021829.4dfcc1e6%40posting.google.com&gs=/groups%3Fdq%3D%26start%3D25%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26group%3Dalt.usage.english%26selm%3Dd7fa3848.0308021829.4dfcc1e6%2540posting.google.com">
</A>  
    
  
   Why don't people consult books like OED _before_ they start posting??
   I don't have some databases with me, but we'll antedate OED right now:

(ANCESTRY.COM)  
   18 July 1789, TIMES OF LONDON, pg. 1, col. 1:
      JOHN O'GROAT's.
  THE ANNUAL BEAN FEAST at the long-established HOUSE in St. GEORGE's-FIELDS, 
which for so many years has been celebrated under that Title, will be held on 
the 22d of this present JULY, where the Company of all the Friends will be 
esteemed as a favour to the House, and compliment to the Stewards.