So King Henry is the “doggie” and the divorce is the “bone.” The “cupboard” is the Catholic Church, which straight up refused Henry his divorce, resulting in England's separation from the Church. Once a very powerful member of the clergy, he found himself in Henry VIII's bad books because he was unable to get him the divorce from Katherine that he so badly wanted. Old Mother Hubbard is actually Cardinal Wolsey, from 16th century England. Old Mother Hubbard isn't even a woman, if the theories are to be believed.
Some older versions of this rhyme ended with “But none for the little boy / Who cries down the lane,” showing us just how little was left for the people who cultivated the wool. One-third of the wool was taken for the king or the Master, one-third for the Church or the Dame, and one-third for the farmers. There was an extremely harsh wool tax imposed on the farmers back then by King Edward I in the 13th century. While this rhyme sounds innocent enough, it actually dates back to feudal England, and is not so innocent.
The “rosie” from the rhyme is the rash that covered the ones who contracted the disease, the smell of which they tried to cover up with “a pocket full of posies.” The “ashes” were the cremated remains of the deceased, and well, they all did fall down. The rhyme refers to the Great Plague of London in 1665. The origin for this rhyme is by far the most infamous. And Jill, or Marie Antoinette's head soon came tumbling after. Jack or Louis XVI, lost his “crown,” i.e. Jack and Jill are actually France’s Louis XVI and his wife, Marie Antoinette, who were convicted of treason during the French Revolution, otherwise known as the Reign of Terror, and beheaded. The roots of this poem are so dark that they should not be allowed anywhere near children. Jack and JillĪnd Jill came tumbling after. It was mistakenly believed that she also blinded and dismembered them, as the rhyme goes, as if being burnt alive wasn't enough. They were obviously unsuccessful and were found out, and then burned at the stake for treason and heresy. The three mice are believed to be a trio of Protestant bishops, Hugh Latimer, Nicholas Radley, and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, who conspired to overthrow Mary. This is another rhyme dedicated to Mary I's reign, also known as Bloody Mary. Who cut off their tails with a carving knife,ĭid you ever see such a thing in your life, The “silver bells” and “cockleshells” are torture devices from her time, and the “pretty maids all in a row” are referred to the hundreds of women burnt at the stake for the crime of being Protestant. Her short reign, from 1553 to 1558, was marked thus, by the execution of thousands of Protestants. When Mary came to the throne, she wanted to convert England to Catholicism again, going “contrary” to England's wishes, since most of England was happily Protestant. As a result of this, England was, at the time of Mary's reign, divided between Catholics and Protestants. So, he isolated himself from the Catholic Church, and created the Anglican Church. Henry VIII wanted to marry Anne Boleyn, and petitioned the Catholic Church for a divorce time and time again, which was refused.
The Mary referred to in this rhyme, is Mary I, daughter of Henry VIII and his first wife, Katherine of Aragon. Does it sound creepy now? Mary Mary Quite ContraryĪnd pretty maids all in a row. Whoever was left at the end, was trapped by the hands of the two kids forming the arch. If you think about it, a game was played while singing this song, where two kids form an arch, and others run underneath till the end of the song.
The practice is called immurement, which is the “practice of entombing someone within a structure, where they slowly die from lack of food and water.” Source: Source It was believed that a bridge would collapse unless a human sacrifice was buried at the foundations. There are several theories behind the origin of this rhyme, but the one that really stands out is the one about human sacrifice. London Bridge is Falling Down Source: Source Here are 10 nursery rhymes with some really dark backstories. However, so many of the nursery rhymes we all grew up singing have such dark origins that you'd be shocked to find you were taught these in school, and kids are still being taught these rhymes. Plagues, prostitution, burning at the stake-none of these are topics you would talk to a toddler about.