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The Secret
History of the
Nursery Rhyme
Many of the origins
of the humble
nursery rhyme are
believed to be
associated with, or
reflect, actual
events in history!
The secret meanings
of the Nursery Rhyme
have been lost in
the passing of time.
A nursery rhyme was
often used to parody
the royal and
political events and
people of the day.
The humble Rhyme was
used as a seemingly
innocent vehicle to
quickly spread
subversive messages!
The Rhyme allowed
an element of free
speech!
A rhyme associates
words with similar
sounds using a
rhyming couplet or
short verse. A rhyme
is often short and
easy to remember and
this was a critical
element when many
people were unable
to read or write and
a rhyme was verbally
passed from
generation to
generation - it was
also a vital element
when commoners
wanted to comment on
the events of the
day! It must be
remembered that
direct criticism or
dissent would often
have been punishable
by death!
The Rhyme that
led to Revolution!
The wording of an
individual rhyme can
often be associated
with historical
events and the
plausible
explanations given
to many a rhyme can
be seen as political
satire. The first
really important
English rhyme dates
back to the
fourteenth century!
This little rhyme
was passed quickly
from one person to
another, was easily
remembered and led
to an English
revolution - a call
for recognition and
class equality!
When Adam delved
and Eve span
Who was then a
gentleman
(To delve means to
work and 'span'
refers to spinning
yarn there was
no class distinction
when there was only
Adam and Eve )
At this time the
Bubonic Plague
(Black Death) had
ravaged England
claiming the lives
of a third of the
population. Peasants
realised that they
were important to
the England's
economy. The 'Adam
and Eve' rhyme was
spread together with
it's simple idea of
equality. It helped
to fuel the fire
which culminated in
the Peasants Revolt
of 1381!
The Chapbooks
The Nursery Rhyme
began to be printed
in England as early
as 1570! Printing
allowed the
production of books
and cheap pamphlets,
or Chapbooks. A
chapbook is "a small
book or pamphlet
containing poems,
ballads, stories, or
religious tracts".
More people during
this time were
learning to read but
the chapbooks were
also popular with
people who could not
read as they
contained pictures,
in the printed form
of crude wood
engravings - A
Middle Ages
equivalent of a
Children's comic! So
the Nursery Rhyme
was then passed from
one generation to
the next by word of
mouth and in a
printed format.
Secret History
and Origins of the
Nursery Rhyme
The relationship of
many historical
events to the
Nursery Rhyme have
been long forgotten.
The Bubonic Plague
and its symptoms
were parodied in
Ring around the Rosy
and the English
Queen Mary I (Bloody
Mary) was believed
to be the 'star' of
the Mary, Mary,
Quite Contrary rhyme
which featured a
hidden reference to
the Queen's
treatment of
Protestants using
instruments of
torture (silver
bells) and execution
by burning them
alive at the stake!
It's no wonder that
this Queen has since
been known as Bloody
Mary! Witches and
their 'familiars',
like cats, frogs,
mice and owls, are
frequently, but
obliquely, referred
to in the words of a
Nursery Rhyme as we
have discussed in
The Identity of
Mother Goose. We
need to understand
the people, history
and cultures of
by-gone days to
unlock the hidden
meanings of the
humble Nursery
rhyme. The history
and origins of many
an 'innocent'
Nursery Rhyme can be
found on this site!
Look closely at the
picture that we have
used to illustrate
the Mary, Mary rhyme
- like the words of
the Nursery Rhyme it
is not what it would
at first seem -
first impressions
can be deceptive! |
