[Sca-cooks] mysterious query Part two (Parliament cake/gingerbread)
Johnna Holloway
johnna at sitka.engin.umich.edu
Wed Jan 24 18:12:18 PST 2007
Here is the rest of the library research on Parliament Cakes.
Back to the source-- Parliament and Dumps in Lorna Doone
Looking an edition of Lorna Doone the phrase appears in a section
devoted to John’s school days in the 1670’s page 5
and cared not for the supper-bell, having sucked much *parliament and
dumps* at
my only charges
Google only gives it as a phrase in Lorna Doone. The 1999 OUP edition
Lorna Doone.: A Romance of Exmoor By Richard Doddridge Blackmore, Sally
Shuttleworth
gives this helpful footnote: "Parliament was probably a form of crisp
gingerbread and dumps was similar to our “bulls eye” sweets."
Google only gives it as a phrase in Lorna Doone. "Dumps" are not
mentioned in Laura Mason's book on confectionary.
Then I came across the following under a phrase search--
Blackmore according to OED A globular sweetmeat, a `bull's-eye'.
· *1869* Blackmore /Lorna D./ ii. 5 Some of us..having sucked much
parliament and dumps at my only charges.
· *1894* Blackmore /Perlycross/ 2 The big Tom Waldron supplied the
little Phil Penniloe with dumps and penny-puddings.
Looks like Blackmore used the phrase at least one more time.
Parliament Cakes
Parliament cakes appears in a version of the Muffin Man song as recorded in
The Universal Songster 1878
and for your *Parliament cake*», every body knows they are bought and
»old all over
the nation. No. no, it's enough for me to cry— Delight in the rattle of
*...*
* ** *
*And it also Appears in print in 1814’s *An Apology for the Life of
James Fennell. By James Fennell.
The author records that he dined upon two pennyworth’s of parliament
cakes on page 298 There’s no date given for this adventure. Fennell
seems to have roamed around the British Isles in the late 18^th century.
Johnnae
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