Uncovering the historical truth of nursery rhymes

It’s thought that nursery rhymes were written to record past events through history and keep the memory of them alive. The catchy rhymes make them easy to remember and teach to younger generations. In truth, some make for grim reading, but we’ve found a few to share with you that are not so dark. 

Humpty Dumpty (sat on a wall...) 

You might be surprised to learn that Humpty Dumpty was not an egg. In fact, Humpty Dumpty was the name of a cannon used in the English Civil War (1642 to 1649). The wall the cannon stood on was blown up and Humpty Dumpty fell to the ground, never to be repaired. 

Dr. Foster (went to Gloucester...) 

The term doctor refers to King Edward I’s reputation as a learned man. Apparently, the King visited Gloucester after a storm. His horse thought that a deep ditch was a puddle and they both fell into it. The King said he would never go back there again! 

Mary had a little lamb (its fleece was white as snow...) 

This is a lovely story about a 9-year-old girl called Mary. Mary lived on a farm and often helped out with the work. One day, Mary found a poorly newborn lamb, thought to have been abandoned by its mother. She pleaded with her parents to keep it and eventually they let her. Mary tended to the lamb and brought it back to good health.  

The lamb followed Mary everywhere, and one day it followed her to school. She took it into the classroom with her and hid it under a blanket. The lamb eventually bleated and the teacher made Mary take the lamb outside. To everyone’s amazement, the lamb waited outside until Mary finished school.