_Fest Sittings_ (Vol. iii., p. 328.).--_Festing_ is, I presume, without
doubt, a Saxon word. A "Festing-man," among the Saxons, was a person who
stood as a surety or pledge for another. "Festing-penny" was the money
given as an earnest or token to servants when hired.
In the word _sittings_ there _might_ be some reference to the
_statute-sessions_, which were courts or tribunals designed for the
settlement of disputes between masters and servants.