The term actually arose during in England in 1649, promulgated by the radical True Levelers, later called the Diggers, who advocated social and economic equality, as well as the overthrow of "the Norman Yoke" under which the English, Scots, Welsh, and eventually Irish were subjugated. Their scorn for the Norman nobility especially was legendary, to the extent that their very enmity became a badge of honour for the "Frenchies," who styled themselves "dignified" from then after.

The Digger ideals inspired a number of community activists over the years, amongst the most recent the Digger Theatre Collective in San Francisco, many of whose members eventually joined the San Francisco Mime Troupe and are producing street theatre to this day.

Here's their recipe for Digger Bread, which they made in metal coffee cans, along with a set of printed directions for making more bread and giving it away.

http://www.diggers.org/diggers/digbread.html

They ran the Free Kitchen, set up to really feed the homeless, where most "charities" seem designed to pay one of the spiritual heirs of the Norman nobility a princely salary and dribble a few crumbs to the poor, from time to time.

Cheers,

Puddin'