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The Origins of
the Little Boy Blue
story - A Connection
with Tudor History?
The words and story
of Little Boy Blue
cannot be positively
connected to any
historical figure in
history but there
is, however, a
theory that 'Little
Boy Blue' refers to
Cardinal Thomas
Wolsey (1475-1530)
dating back to
English Tudor
history and the
reign of King Henry
VIII. Wolsey was an
extremely rich and
arrogant self-made
man with many
enemies at court and
was unpopular with
the people of
England. He was
called the "Boy
Bachelor" after
obtaining his degree
from Oxford at the
unusually early age
of fifteen. The
expression "Blowing
one's own horn"
meaning to brag was
certainly practised
by Cardinal Wolsey.
Between 1514 and
1525 he transformed
a medieval manor
into the magnificent
Hampton Court
Palace. It was an
ostentatious display
of his wealth and
his power giving
rise to the rhyme
uttered by his
enemies:
"Come ye to court?
Which Court?
The King's Court or
Hampton Court?"
The anti-Wolsey
propaganda worked
and in 1529 Henry
declared all of
Wolsey's lands and
possessions forfeit
and they became the
property of the
Crown. At this time
England was a
prosperous nation
largely through the
wool trade and the
export taxes on wool
had augmented both
Henry's treasury and
Wolsey's assets. The
words "where's the
boy who looks after
the sheep?" could
refer to Wolsey's
concern with lining
his own coffers as
opposed to that of
the country. The
cardinal's robes
were scarlet but
Wolsey's Blazon of
Arms included the
blue faces of four
leopards - perhaps
this was why the
title of the rhyme
is Little Boy Blue?
The Little Boy Blue
rhyme may have been
a secret message of
dissent concerning
the greed of the
statesman prior to
his downfall. Open
criticism of the
Cardinal would have
lead to
imprisonment,
confiscation of
property or even
death. Another rhyme
reputedly relating
to Cardinal Wolsey
is
Old Mother
Hubbard. |
