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Nursery Rhymes Lyrics and Origins |
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The imagery of Humpty
Dumpty
Humpty Dumpty was a
colloquial term used in
fifteenth century
England describing
someone who was obese.
This has given rise to
various, but inaccurate,
theories surrounding the
identity of Humpty
Dumpty. The image of
Humpty Dumpty was made
famous by the
illustrations included
in the 'Alice through
the looking glass' novel
by Lewis Carroll.
However, Humpty Dumpty
was not a person
pilloried in the famous
rhyme!
The History and
Origins of the Rhyme
Humpty Dumpty was in
fact believed to be a
large cannon! It was
used during the English
Civil War (1642 - 1649)
in the Siege of
Colchester (13 Jun 1648
- 27 Aug 1648).
Colchester was strongly
fortified by the
Royalists and was laid
to siege by the
Parliamentarians
(Roundheads). In 1648
the town of Colchester
was a walled town with a
castle and several
churches and was
protected by the city
wall. Standing
immediately adjacent the
city wall, was St Mary's
Church. A huge cannon,
colloquially called
Humpty Dumpty, was
strategically placed on
the wall next to St
Mary's Church. The
historical events
detailing the siege of
Colchester are well
documented - references
to the cannon (Humpty
Dumpty) are as follows: |
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June 15th 1648 -
St Mary's Church
is fortified and
a large cannon
is placed on the
roof which was
fired by
‘One-Eyed Jack
Thompson'
-
July 14th / July
15th 1648 - The
Royalist fort
within the walls
at St Mary's
church is blown
to pieces and
their main
cannon battery (
Humpty Dumpty)
is destroyed.
-
August 28th 1648
- The Royalists
lay down their
arms, open the
gates of
Colchester and
surrender to the
Parliamentarians
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A shot from a
Parliamentary
cannon succeeded
in damaging the
wall beneath
Humpty Dumpty
which caused the
cannon to tumble
to the ground.
The Royalists,
or Cavaliers,
'all the King's
men' attempted
to raise Humpty
Dumpty on to
another part of
the wall.
However, because
the cannon , or
Humpty Dumpty,
was so heavy '
All the King's
horses and all
the King's men
couldn't put
Humpty together
again!' This had
a drastic
consequence for
the Royalists as
the
strategically
important town
of Colchester
fell to the
Parliamentarians
after a siege
lasting eleven
weeks. Earliest
traceable
publication
1810. |
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A Picture of typical Cavalier who
would have fought for the Royalists
during the English Civil War
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A Roundhead (Parliamentarian)
was so called from the
close-cropped hair of the
Puritans
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The word Cavalier is
derived from the French word
Chevalier meaning a military man
serving on horseback
- a knight.
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Humpty Dumpty poem
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!
Alternative Words...
Humpty dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty dumpty had a great fall;
Threescore men and threescore more,
Could not place Humpty as he was before.
Humpty Dumpty poem |
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Note: A Rhymes lyrics and
the perceived origins of
some Nursery Rhymes vary
according to location |
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