Nursery Rhymes

Ring o Roses

Ring­a­ring o' roses,
A pocket full of posies,
A­tishoo! A­tishoo!
We all fall down.

Origin-
There are many versions of this rhyme, some of which use entirely different words to the roses/rosy variants. It is often suggested that the rhyme relates to the symptoms of plague, specifically the Black Death - the bubonic plague that spread through Europe in the 1340s, or to the Great Plague of London, 1665/6. The plausible-sounding theory has it that the 'ring' was the ring of sores around the mouths of plague victims, who subsequently sneezed and fell down dead.

Some however believe that the plague theory is false. The idea is usually dismissed for a number of reasons- the most common being that the first appearance of the rhyme dated far too late for the Great Plague to have been the origin. The alternative explanation is that the words are playful nonsense.

Humpty Dumpty

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king's horses and all the king's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again

Origin-
There are several theories behind the Humpty Dumpty nursery rhyme, and these are the most common:

-Humpty Dumpty was a powerful cannon during the English Civil War. It was mounted on top of the St Marys at the Wall Church in Colchester to defend the city.  The church tower was hit by the enemy and the top of the tower was blown off, sending "Humpty" tumbling to the ground. Naturally the King's men tried to mend him but in vain. I.e, The "men" would have been infantry, and "horses" the cavalry troops

-"Humpty Dumpty" referred to King Richard III. At the Battle of Bosworth Field, he fell from his steed, a horse he had named "Wall". Richard was surrounded by enemy troops in the battle, and was butchered right there, his body being hacked to pieces. Hence the final part of the rhyme: "All the King's Horses and All the King's men couldn't put Humpty together again"

-Humpty Dumpty refers to the British use of a machine called a Testudo (an ancient Roman war machine). It was often used cross moats and climb over castle walls. One day the British army was trying to conquer a castle with a moat, but they had no way to get over the wall, so decide to construct a Testudo. The next morning when the British attacked, their valuable machine plummeted from the wall into the moat. Humpty Dumpty refers to both the look of the machine (it gets its name because it looks like a tortoise) and also to the noise the wheels make as the machine moves forward.

Little Miss Muffet

Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet

Eating her curds and whey,

Along came a spider,

Who sat down beside her

And frightened Miss Muffet away.

Origin-
This nursery rhyme also has several possible theories behind its origin/ meaning which include:

-the rhyme refers to Mary, Queen of Scots, who was supposed to have been frightened by John Knox, a Scottish clergyman and religious reformer. However, the rhyme does not seem to have been printed before 1805 so this meaning is skeptical.

-The rhyme was probably written by Thomas Muffet, a doctor and an entomologist (someone who studies insects) who lived during the late sixteenth century. It is believed that Little Miss Muffet is supposed to be his daughter, Patience.

-Some scholars suggest that the rhyme could have been associated with the Cushion Dance. This was a dance popular in England during the 16th century. The dance was associated with mating and marriage rituals and the May Day festival. 

Jack and Jill

Jack and Jill went up the hill

To fetch a pail of water.

Jack fell down and broke his crown,

And Jill came tumbling after.

Origin-
Jack and Jill has two possible origins, both stating the last bit of verse was added later to give a happier ending to a children’s poem. One speculation is that Jack is King Louis XVI who broke his crown by being beheaded, and Jill would be Marie Antionette whose head came tumbling after. Another theory is that the Jack refers to a half pint, and Jill is a gill which is a quarter pint measure. In the 17th century when King Charles I wanted to reform taxes on liquid measures, he was refused by Parliament. So being crafty, he decided to decree a downsize instead to make more money.

Orange and Lemons

Oranges and lemons,
Say the bells of St. Clement's.
You owe me five farthings,
Say the bells of St. Martin's.

Origin-
The words to "Oranges and lemons" have been much loved by numerous generations of children. The neighbourhood names relate to some of the many churches of London and the tune that accompanies the lyrics emulates the sound of the ringing of the individual church bells.

The words of the nursery rhyme are chanted by children as they play the game of 'Oranges and lemons' the end of which culminates in a child being caught between the joined arms of two others, emulating the act of chopping off their head.