{"id":3734,"date":"2013-06-03T15:59:50","date_gmt":"2013-06-03T15:59:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.genealogybank.com\/?p=3734"},"modified":"2019-05-14T10:56:31","modified_gmt":"2019-05-14T14:56:31","slug":"nursery-rhyme-origins-quiz-meanings-history-behind-the-rhymes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/nursery-rhyme-origins-quiz-meanings-history-behind-the-rhymes.html","title":{"rendered":"Nursery Rhyme Origins Quiz: Meanings &#038; History behind the Rhymes"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong><em>Introduction<\/em><\/strong><em>: In this article, Mary Harrell-Sesniak provides another fun quiz to test your knowledge of the origins of some familiar nursery rhymes\u2014and provides examples from historical newspapers. Mary is a genealogist, author and editor with a strong technology background.<br \/>\n<\/em><\/p>\n<p>What was \u201cRing-a-Round the Rosie\u201d really all about? Eventually all genealogists hear rumors about the historical origins and meanings behind popular nursery rhymes, such as:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u201cRing-a-Round the Rosie\u201d describes people dying from the bubonic plague.<\/li>\n<li>Mary of \u201cMary Had a Little Lamb\u201d was a real person.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>I decided to research some of the common nursery rhyme claims, and came to the conclusion that you can\u2019t believe everything you read or hear!<\/p>\n<p>It turns out that one of the above rumors about the meanings of the nursery rhymes is true and the other is an unsubstantiated myth. Do you know which claim is correct? To find out how well you know the true origins of nursery rhymes, test your knowledge with my Nursery Rhyme Origins Genealogy Quiz. Select S for \u201csubstantiated\u201d and U for \u201cunsubstantiated.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/early-nursery-rhymes-genealogy-quiz.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3736\" title=\"early-nursery-rhymes-genealogy-quiz\" src=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/early-nursery-rhymes-genealogy-quiz.png\" alt=\"early nursery rhymes genealogy quiz\" width=\"630\" height=\"788\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/early-nursery-rhymes-genealogy-quiz.png 630w, https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/early-nursery-rhymes-genealogy-quiz-239x300.png 239w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Origins of \u201cBaa Baa Black Sheep\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The first known publication of this famous nursery rhyme was in <em>Tommy Thumb\u2019s Pretty Song Book<\/em>, a sequel to the lost publication <em>Tommy Thumb\u2019s Song Book<\/em> of 1744.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Baa, baa, black sheep,<\/p>\n<p>Have you any wool?<\/p>\n<p>Yes, sir, yes, sir,<\/p>\n<p>Three bags full;<\/p>\n<p>One for the master,<\/p>\n<p>And one for the dame,<\/p>\n<p>And one for the little boy<\/p>\n<p>Who lives down the lane.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Some report that the song had a connection to a British tax on wool, or sadly even the slave trade. Of the two explanations the tax on wool seems most realistic, since black wool was prized because it eliminated the need to dye the wool before making clothing.<\/p>\n<p>Neither of these explanations about the meaning of the rhyme is substantiated. However, after reading the lyrics carefully, it appears to me that the song describes a common system of sharing the fruits of one\u2019s labor. Although not proved, I believe this is the not-so-hidden meaning behind \u201cBaa Baa Black Sheep.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A 17th or 18th Century laborer typically paid his master (probably a Lord of a manor) in goods or crops, and if he had a helper, he would also share in the bounty. Logically, the \u201clittle boy who lives down the lane\u201d could have been an assistant, or someone who benefited from his charity.<\/p>\n<p><strong>History of \u201cJack and Jill\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This popular nursery rhyme dates to the 16th Century. There is no evidence as to the origin, but you may be surprised to learn that many early versions refer to Jack and \u201cGill\u201d instead of Jill, as seen in this 1884 newspaper article.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3737\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3737\" style=\"width: 552px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/wheeling-register-newspaper-0624-1884-james-blaine.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3737\" title=\"wheeling-register-newspaper-0624-1884-james-blaine\" src=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/wheeling-register-newspaper-0624-1884-james-blaine.png\" alt=\"Old Nursery Rhyme, Wheeling Register newspaper article 24 June 1884\" width=\"552\" height=\"296\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/wheeling-register-newspaper-0624-1884-james-blaine.png 552w, https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/wheeling-register-newspaper-0624-1884-james-blaine-300x160.png 300w, https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/wheeling-register-newspaper-0624-1884-james-blaine-500x268.png 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 552px) 100vw, 552px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3737\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Wheeling Register (Wheeling, West Virginia), 24 June 1884, page 2<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Meaning of \u201cJack Be Nimble\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This is another famous rhyme of unknown origin. However, some think it refers to Black Jack, a 16th Century English pirate, or that it alludes to an old game of jumping over fires in celebration of the Feast Day of St. Catherine on November 25.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3738\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3738\" style=\"width: 599px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/philadelphia-inquirer-newspaper-0508-1806-jack-candle-stick.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3738\" title=\"philadelphia-inquirer-newspaper-0508-1806-jack-candle-stick\" src=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/philadelphia-inquirer-newspaper-0508-1806-jack-candle-stick.png\" alt=\"&quot;Jack Be Nimble&quot; nursery rhyme, Philadelphia Inquirer newspaper article 8 May 1806\" width=\"599\" height=\"76\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/philadelphia-inquirer-newspaper-0508-1806-jack-candle-stick.png 599w, https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/philadelphia-inquirer-newspaper-0508-1806-jack-candle-stick-300x38.png 300w, https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/philadelphia-inquirer-newspaper-0508-1806-jack-candle-stick-500x63.png 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, 599px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3738\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), 8 May 1806, page 6<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Origins of \u201cLittle Jack Horner\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The true origin of this nursery rhyme is not known. Although widely debated, some suggest that \u201cLittle Jack Horner\u201d refers to a 16th Century thief named Jack Horner, who acted as a courier for Richard Whiting, the Abbot of Glastonbury.<\/p>\n<p>One year Whiting decided to send his courier Jack to bring a Christmas pie to King Henry VIII (1491-1547). Hidden inside the pie were twelve property deeds\u2014which Jack discovered, promptly stealing one.<\/p>\n<p>When he returned to the Abbot, Jack reported that King Henry had given him one of the property deeds as a present for delivering the gift. However, he was reportedly later found guilty of the theft and put to death.<\/p>\n<p>I noticed that in this 1802 newspaper article, the spelling of plums was changed to plumbs.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3739\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3739\" style=\"width: 365px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/new-york-herald-newspaper-1009-1802-jack-horner.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3739\" title=\"new-york-herald-newspaper-1009-1802-jack-horner\" src=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/new-york-herald-newspaper-1009-1802-jack-horner.png\" alt=\"&quot;Little Jack Horner&quot; nursery rhyme, New-York Herald newspaper article 9 October 1802\" width=\"365\" height=\"107\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/new-york-herald-newspaper-1009-1802-jack-horner.png 365w, https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/new-york-herald-newspaper-1009-1802-jack-horner-300x87.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 365px) 100vw, 365px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3739\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">New-York Herald (New York, New York), 9 October 1802, page 2<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>History of \u201cMary Had a Little Lamb\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Mary had a little lamb,<\/p>\n<p>whose fleece was white as snow.<\/p>\n<p>And everywhere that Mary went,<\/p>\n<p>the lamb was sure to go.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>It followed her to school one day,<\/p>\n<p>which was against the rule.<\/p>\n<p>It made the children laugh and play,<\/p>\n<p>to see a lamb at school.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>And so the teacher turned it out,<\/p>\n<p>but still it lingered near.<\/p>\n<p>And waited patiently about,<\/p>\n<p>till Mary did appear.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy does the lamb love Mary so?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>the eager children cry.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy, Mary loves the lamb, you know,\u201d<\/p>\n<p>the teacher did reply.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>For obvious reasons, I\u2019ve always had an affinity to this song, so I was delighted to learn that Mary was a real person.<\/p>\n<p>Mary Sawyer (later Tyler) caused a commotion when she took her pet lamb to school. That same day, a man named John Roulstone was visiting the school.<\/p>\n<p>John Roulstone knew Mary Josepha (Buell) Hale (1788-1879), the noted editor of <em>Godey\u2019s Lady\u2019s Book<\/em>, later known as <em>American Ladies\u2019 Magazine<\/em>, and one of the people we can thank for making Thanksgiving one of our national holidays.<\/p>\n<p>Roulstone apparently related to Mary Hale the amusing incident of little Mary bringing her lamb to school, and the popular poem was written\u2014either collaboratively, or by Hale\u2014in response to Roulstone\u2019s account. The evidence for this can be found in several of Mary (Sawyer) Tyler\u2019s obituaries, such as this 1889 example from a Boston newspaper.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3740\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3740\" style=\"width: 482px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/boston-journal-newspaper-1211-1889-mary-tyler-obituary.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3740\" title=\"boston-journal-newspaper-1211-1889-mary-tyler-obituary\" src=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/boston-journal-newspaper-1211-1889-mary-tyler-obituary.png\" alt=\"Mary Tyler obituary, Boston Journal newspaper article 11 December 1889\" width=\"482\" height=\"478\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/boston-journal-newspaper-1211-1889-mary-tyler-obituary.png 482w, https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/boston-journal-newspaper-1211-1889-mary-tyler-obituary-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/boston-journal-newspaper-1211-1889-mary-tyler-obituary-300x297.png 300w, https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/boston-journal-newspaper-1211-1889-mary-tyler-obituary-302x300.png 302w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 482px) 100vw, 482px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3740\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Boston Journal (Boston, Massachusetts), 11 December 1889, page 4<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>History of the \u201cMother Goose\u201d Rhymes<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If you visit <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cityofboston.gov\/freedomtrail\/granary.asp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Granary Burial Ground<\/a> in Boston, Massachusetts, you\u2019ll find the tombstone of a Mother Goose, a photo of which can be found on Wikipedia at <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/File:Mother_Goose_Grave_Boston.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/File:Mother_Goose_Grave_Boston.jpg<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Her tombstone reads:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>HERE LYES YE BODY OF<\/p>\n<p>MARY GOOSE WIFE TO<\/p>\n<p>ISAAC GOOSE, AGED 42<\/p>\n<p>YEARS DECD OCTOBER<\/p>\n<p>YE 19TH, 1690&#8230;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>However, this Mary Goose was not the originator of the popular series of nursery rhymes by the same name.<\/p>\n<p>That honor goes to Charles Perrault (1628-1703), a noted French author and advisor to Louis XIV. His compiled nursery rhymes were often rewritten, most notably by the Brothers Grimm during the 19th Century. For more information on Perrault, see:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Wikipedia\u2019s article at <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Charles_Perrault\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Charles_Perrault<\/a><\/li>\n<li>The Project Gutenberg EBook at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gutenberg.org\/files\/17208\/17208-h\/17208-h.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">http:\/\/www.gutenberg.org\/files\/17208\/17208-h\/17208-h.htm<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>The Real \u201cOld King Cole\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cOld King Cole\u201d was reportedly a king who lived during the 4th Century in Kaircoel, England, with Koel being an early spelling for Cole. One version is that after the Saxons overran Britain, the town was renamed Colchester, as chester was the Saxon word for city.<\/p>\n<p>As the legend goes, King Cole\u2019s musically-gifted daughter Helen married Constantine the Great, and it is rumored that she either inspired or authored this famous song.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3741\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3741\" style=\"width: 532px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/weekly-herald-newspaper-0728-1849-king-cole.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3741\" title=\"weekly-herald-newspaper-0728-1849-king-cole\" src=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/weekly-herald-newspaper-0728-1849-king-cole.png\" alt=\"&quot;Old King Cole&quot; nursery rhyme, Weekly Herald newspaper article 28 July 1849\" width=\"532\" height=\"210\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/weekly-herald-newspaper-0728-1849-king-cole.png 532w, https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/weekly-herald-newspaper-0728-1849-king-cole-300x118.png 300w, https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/weekly-herald-newspaper-0728-1849-king-cole-500x197.png 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 532px) 100vw, 532px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3741\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Weekly Herald (New York, New York), 28 July 1849, page 236<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Another suggestion is that \u201cOld King Cole\u201d referred to Thomas Cole-brook, a 12th Century cloth merchant, but there is no evidence that any of these explanations are correct.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Origins of \u201cRing-a-Round the Rosie\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>One of the most common misconceptions about old nursery rhymes is that this poem describes people dying from the bubonic plague. Others suggest it is about putting flowers in a pocket to cover bad smells, or that this is merely describing a child\u2019s dancing game.<\/p>\n<p>Nobody knows the true origins of this delightful nursery rhyme, but if you examine the terms, you may come to your own conclusion.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/chart-0603-2013-ring-a-round-rosie.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3742\" title=\"chart-0603-2013-ring-a-round-rosie\" src=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/chart-0603-2013-ring-a-round-rosie.png\" alt=\"&quot;Ring-a-Round the Rosie&quot; nursery rhyme\" width=\"477\" height=\"115\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/chart-0603-2013-ring-a-round-rosie.png 477w, https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/chart-0603-2013-ring-a-round-rosie-300x72.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 477px) 100vw, 477px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Were \u201crosies\u201d roses, and \u201cposeys\u201d bundles of flowers? In America, we sing about ashes, but in Britain, they use the term \u201ca-tishoo.\u201d Sounds more like an allergic response to pollen, but that is purely my own speculation.<\/p>\n<p>Do any of you have ancestral souvenirs of nursery rhymes? Do you have any additional information about the history that inspired these famous nursery rhymes? If so, please share with us on Facebook or in the GenealogyBank blog\u2019s comments section. And if any of you happen to find a copy of <em>Tommy Thumb\u2019s Song Book<\/em>, please blog about it here before it debuts on Antiques Roadshow!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In this article, Mary Harrell-Sesniak provides a fun quiz to test your knowledge of the origins of some familiar nursery rhymes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":50155,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12339],"tags":[2020,4118,3544],"class_list":["post-3734","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-games-puzzles","tag-newspaper-archives","tag-nursery-rhymes","tag-quizzes"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/illustration-0603-2013-featured-graphic-nursery-rhyme.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3734","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3734"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3734\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50155"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3734"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3734"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3734"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}