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weemsbotts · 3 years

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Practical Joker or Frustrating Imp: The “Gargantuan Feaster” in Dumfries & Alexandria

By: Lisa Timmerman, Executive Director

Sometimes, fascinating clues on historic Dumfries can come from easy to access published books. Lucy Lee Pleasants (1856-1925) recorded her mother, Sally Lee McCarty Pleasants (1833-1916), memories and stories in the book Old Virginia Days and Ways: Reminiscences of Mrs. Sally McCarty Pleasants. She noted that this was a “memorial to her whose remarkable and unusual gift for narrative have made it possible.” So let’s delve into her book and see what cherished tales we have for Dumfries and Alexandria

Sally Pleasants recorded an interesting tradition of eating contests for Virginia as she remarked on how an unidentified male was able to take advantage of local taverns throughout the area. This story was told to her by her father, John Mason McCarty (1795-1852).

“The same rollicking spirits which prompted people to play practical jokes found expression in homeric feasting. Eating contests were frequent and tales of prodigious gastronomic feats were told.

Lawyers who had business in the Circuit Court would ride together to the different towns to try their cases. They would plan to arrive at certain taverns for certain meals, the landlord being apprised beforehand of their coming. Dumfries was the place where they usually spent the night, breakfasting there next morning. A man who enjoyed a great local reputation as a gargantuan feaster, hearing that the lawyers were expected, rode in advance to Dumfries, ordered breakfast and continued to eat until he had consumed the entire meal that had been prepared for seven or eight guests.

When he went to pay his score, the landlord objected. "I cannot let you have such a meal as you have just eaten for the usual price; you have devoured the breakfast provided for nearly a dozen men."

"That makes no difference," replied the man; "the last time I was here I had only a cup of tea and a bit of toast, but you told me the price was the same whether I ate little or much."

So many questions to ask! What was the breakfast (sorry, author is feeling hungry right now), who was the “gargantuan feaster”, exactly what year did Circuit Court lawyers find Dumfries a traditional spot for an overnight visit and breakfast (especially important as so many negative accounts of Dumfries emerge in the 1820s), and what tavern did they frequent? The “gargantuan feaster” then made his way north,

“In Alexandria, when the schooners would come in laden with oysters, men would pay a quarter for permission to eat as many of them as they wanted. In an unlucky moment this permission was granted to our prodigious eater. After devouring so many that the shells were heaped around him almost as high as his head, the owner of the cargo was obliged to pay him a dollar to leave off.”

(Image: From the book Pleasants, Lucy Lee. Old Virginia Days and Ways. Menasha: George Banta Publishing Company (1916), across from title page)

Oyster clues! In the City of Alexandria Virginia’s fantastic resource site, we can skim through travelers’ accounts of the historic Alexandria waterfront! Travelers’ accounts are instrumental primary sources as visitors often make different observations than residents, perhaps, in our case, finding oysters and schooners exciting? Keep in mind this is just a quick peek and we could certainly spend a full blog article on this topic. We know the Courthouse in Dumfries left in 1822 for Brentsville, so let us focus our attention after that date. Bernard, Duke of Weirmar mentioned “several schooners” in his 1825-1825 book Travels Through North America. In 1826, Anne Newport Royall commented on the markets of Alexandria noting they were inferior to the western country, except for their beef and fish, “But their exquisite fish, oysters, crabs, and foreign fruits, upon the whole, bring them upon a value with us.” Keeping in mind that her father died in 1852, are the 1820s a good speculation? Warning: speculations abound here!

Lucy Lee Pleasants also remarked that her mother, “embodied, we think, the grace and charm of Virginia as it used to be – the Virginia of her youth to which she was always tenderly loyal…” Typically, when people mention the “Old South” fondly, they are generally referring to a distorted and twisted pre-Civil War society where the enslaved were “happy” and “content”. Sally Pleasants remarked on the racial tensions and later stated, “From the time I was old enough to think for myself I had grave misgravings that slavery was wrong. Mammy was the only slave my parents owned and after my mother’s death, as soon as I came of age, I set her free and paid her wages as my maid.” However, other statements in the book still reinforce that while she was aware of a “nameless anxiety” there is still racism present throughout this text.

Ultimately, this is a narrative remembered from an oral history with reminisces on past stories from other people. While this source may seem too troublesome to take at value, I think we can extract interesting information and speculate on possible dates, people, families, etc. Also, exactly how large was our “Gargantuan Feaster’s” stomach…and would he have a reality media series today?

Note: We have two excellent programs at the end of July! Our f2f Children’s Day at the Museum Sponsored by Colonial Downs Group invites you to go on a scavenger hunt and make a scent sachet, while our Weems-Botts Bibliophiles delves into Norse Mythology, reading the Eddas on a hunt for the stories behind the Marvel movies and shows. Click here for Children’s Day and here for the Weems-Botts Bibliophiles!

(Sources: Pleasants, Lucy Lee. Old Virginia Days and Ways. Menasha: George Banta Publishing Company (1916): Pages 113-114; Gunston Hall Library, The Mason Web: The Mason Descendents Database: Sally Lee McCarty, Lucy Lee Pleasants, https://gunstonhall.org/wp-content/uploads/masonweb/index.htm; Organized by Kelsey Ryan, Office of Historic Alexandria/Alexandria Archaeology, City of Alexandria, c. 2009, Traverl’s Accounts of the Historic Alexandria Waterfront: Bernard, Duke of Weimar. Travels Through North America, 1825-1826, p.178; Anne Newport Royall, Sketches of History, Life, and Manners, in the United States, By a Traveler. New York: Johnson Reprint Corporation, printed for the author, 1826)

#dining #folklore #localhistory #regionalhistory #virginiahistory #museumfromhome #interestingsources #eyebrowraise #familymemories #familynarrative #historicalinvestigation

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celticmythpodshow · 7 years

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CMP031 Face to Face with Death

The ashen face of Death turns his gaze upon our hero!

In the last episode, Pwyll had gone hunting in the Woods of Glyn Cuch and had been beaten to the kill by a stranger pack comprising even stranger dogs. Having decided that the kill was rightfully his, he had driven off the other pack and set his own dogs upon the prey. It was at that moment that a stranger, the Shadowed Hunter, has appeared and was even now turning his dread gaze upon Pwyll. We'd also like to introduce our Special Surprise Guest Actor, Damh the Bard, who plays an important role in this show!

This episode is the second episode in our Welsh Mythology series and continues with the story of Pwyll, the Prince of Dyfed.

Full Show-notes, with sources and credits, can be found on our main Website at http://celticmythpodshow.com/welsh2

Running Order:

Intro 0:41

News & Views 1:15

DigVentures on the Radio 3:05

Story 9:30

Listener Feedback - Sean 126:12

Promo - Druidcast 20:33

We hope you enjoy it!

Gary & Ruthie x x x

Released: 12 May 2012, 32m

We love to get your feedback, please email [email protected], or call us on Speakpipe

News & Views

We talk about the Flag Fen Rescue project, Flag Fen Lives, organised by DigVentures and the charity that manages Flag Fen, Vivacity. We also re-play the interview that Paul Stenton of BBC Camridgeshire's breakfast show had with Sarah Stannage of Vivacity and Lisa Westcott-Wilkins, the Managing Director of DigVentures.

Built by Bronze Age people as a place of worship and ritual, the causeway contains 60,000 upright timbers and 250,000 horizontal planks buried underground along with many swords and other personal 'offerings' to the watery fen. Now under threat of being lost to the elements, it is a matter of urgency to Rescue and research as much as possible within the remaining time. See how you can help the project and get involved on the DigVentures site.

Face to Face with Death: Part 2 of the First Branch and Part 2 of the Mabinogion

Names Used in this Story

Listed in order of appearance

Pwyll

Dyfed

Cuch

Glyn Cuch

Arawn

Annwn

Hafgan the Summer-White

"Storm"

Tylwyth Teg

Places mentioned in the Story

Episode 2 is also the second episode of the First Branch: Pwyll, Prince of Dyfed. The area of the Wales that Pwyll rules is called Dyfed, and at the estimated time of the writing of the First Branch (during the Medieval period). There is some debate as to the area of the original seven cantrefs, and Wiki provides us not only with a revised version but also names the seven areas. This is the area as it was known in the 7th Century and although the tales were not written down until the early medieval period, there is much evidence - linguistic and political - to suggest that the events recounted in the Mabingion, based on real events and/or mythology, took place at this time.

Click on the image to see it enlarged.

The actual journey that Pwyll makes in this episode is derived from clues given within the various translations and is, essentially, an educated guess! :) However, below you can see the path that Pwyll would have taken in traverlling from Arberth to Glyn Cuch, and also from the map above that he would actually have been travelling from one Cantref to another in the journey.

Listener Feedback

Sean

We play some audio feedback from our friend Sean who runs the IRFT Celtic Radio show as often as he can. Thank you for your thoughts Sean and we wish you the best of luck with keeping your station on the air.

Promo - IRFT Celtic Music ... with a Twist

Sean

Music from the seven celtic nations, and the Americas. We play Folk-Rock radio and Rock radio. Sadly, Sean has had some problems keeping the show on the air but you can still visit his Myspace page and read his blogs. He has deliberately left the page as a tribute to the great musicians he has featured. IRFT Celtic Music ... with a Twist

Promo - Druidcast

Damh the Bard & O.B.O.D.

Druidcast

Your host is Damh the Bard and each episode he will feature poetry, story and song offered by Bards throughout the world. There will also be interviews with people from the Druid tradition, seasonal thoughts, explorations of Celtic mythology and history, reviews, and competitions.

You can hear the full podcasts at: http://www.druidcast.libsyn.com/ or subscribe through your podcatcher, or through iTunes.

Huge Thanks to our Guest Actors

Damh the Bard

We also would like to say a really big 'Thank you' to Damh the Bard for playing the part of Arawn in our Tale, and would like to remind you that you can find him and his wonderful music on his website or listen to him on Druidcast podcast.

Sources used in this Episode

The Mabinogion, pp ix-xxxvi, 3-21, 227-232, Sioned Davies , Oxford, 2007, ISBN 978-0-19-283242

The Mabinogion, pp 9-41, 45-65, Jeffrey Gantz, Penguin, 1976, ISBN 0-14-044322-3

The Mabinogion, pp ix-xliv, 3-24, 275-278, Gwyn Jones & Thomas Jones, Dent & Dutton, 1977, ISBN 0-460-01097-2. Can also be found online at www.donaldcorrell.com

Pwyll Pendeuc Dyfed, Lady Charlotte Guest, Mary Jones

Pwyll, Prince of Dyfed, Lady Charlotte Guest, 1877, Sacred Texts

Notes to Pwyll, Prince of Dyfed, Lady Charlotte Guest, 1877, Sacred Texts

The Mabinogion, Lady Charlotte Guest, 1849, Project Gutenberg

The Mabinogi of Pwyll, W. M. Parker, mabiongi.net. Notes at mabinogion.info

'The Lord of Dyfed', from Legends of the Celts, p.134ff, Frank Delaney, HarperCollins, 1991, ISBN 0-586-21151-9

Tales from the Mabinogion, Gwyn Thomas & Kevin Crossley-Holland, Gollancz, 1984, ISBN 0-575-03531-5

Celtic Myths & Legends, p.147ff, Michael Foss, Selectabook Ltd., 1998, ISBN 0-75252-402-X

Prince of Annwn, Evangeline Walton, Del Rey, 1974, ISBN 0-345-27060-6

Encyclopaedia of Celtic Wisdom, p.117, 156, Caitlin & John Matthews, Element, 1994, ISBN 1-85230-560-6

The Celts, p.211, Frank Delaney, Grafton, 1989, ISBN 0-586-20349-4

Women in Celtic Myth, Moyra Caldecott, Arrow, ISBN 0-09-955920-X

Celtic Heritage, p.41 ff, Alwyn & Brinley Rees, Thames & Hudson, 1978, ISBN 978-0500110089

Pagan Celtic Britain, p.288, Anne Ross, Constable, 1967, ISBN 0-09-472330-3

'Myth in the Mabiogion', from A Celtic Reader, p.151, John Matthews, Aquarian, ISBN 0-85030-935-2

Celtic Myths and Legends, p.356 ff, T. W. Rolleston, 1995, ISBN 978-1859580066

Celtic Folklore: Welsh & Manx Vol.2, pp 499ff, John Rhys, Wildwood House, 1980, ISBN 0-7045-0406-5

The White Goddess, p.215ff, Robert Graves, Faber, 1952

And, of course, the Awen - inspiration and imagination!

Special Thanks

For incidental music:

Seraphic Panoply, Tribesman from The Darkshore Collection. See the Contributor page for more details.

Silence, Cellule from his album L'autre endroit. See the Contributor page for more details.

Roger Subirana, Jugant amb les estrelles from his album L'indret prohibit and A piece of heaven from his album Point of No Return. See his Contributor page for more details.

DIY-Note, Un from their album Ruptures. See the Contributor page for more details.

Diane Arkenstone The Secret Garden. See the Contributor page for details.

Kim Robertson, Angels in Disguise, All or None . See the Contributor page for details.

Jigger Time Ticks Away. See the Contributor page for details.

For our Theme Music

The Skylark and Haghole, the brilliant Culann's Hounds. See their Contributor page for details.

Extra Special Thanks for Unrestricted Access to Wonderful Music

(in Alphabetic order)

Anne Roos Extra Special thanks go for permission to use any of her masterful music to Anne Roos. You can find out more about Anne on her website or on her Contributor page.

Caera Extra Special thanks go for permission to any of her evocative harping and Gaelic singing to Caera. You can find out more about Caera on her website or on her Contributor Page.

Celia Extra Special Thanks go for permission to use any of her wonderful music to Celia Farran. You can find out more about Celia on her website or on her Contributor Page.

Damh the Bard Extra Special thanks go to Damh the Bard for his permission to use any of his music on the Show. You can find out more about Damh (Dave) on his website or on his Contributor page.

The Dolmen Extra Special thanks also go to The Dolmen, for their permission to use any of their fantastic Celtic Folk/Rock music on the Show. You can find out more about The Dolmen on their website or on our Contributor page.

Keltoria Extra Special thanks go for permission to use any of their inspired music to Keltoria. You can find out more about Keltoria on their website or on their Contributor page.

Kevin Skinner Extra Special thanks go for permission to use any of his superb music to Kevin Skinner. You can find out more about Kevin on his website or on his Contributor page.

Phil Thornton Extra Special Thanks go for permission to use any of his astounding ambient music to the Sonic Sorcerer himself, Phil Thornton. You can find out more about Phil on his website or on his Contributor Page.

S.J. Tucker Extra Special thanks go to Sooj for her permission to use any of her superb music. You can find out more about Sooj on her website or on her Contributor page.

Spiral Dance Extra Special thanks go for permission to use Adrienne and the band to use any of their music in the show. You can find out more about Spiral Dance on their website or on their Contributor page.

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