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Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery, Exeter

Mary, Mary Quite Contrary

Mary Mary quite contrary,How does your garden grow?

With silver bells and cockle shellsAnd pretty maids all in a row.The origins are steeped in history...

The Mary alluded to in this traditional English nursery rhyme is Mary Tudor,or Bloody Mary, who was the daughter of King Henry VIII. Queen Mary wasa staunch Catholic and the garden referred to is an allusion to graveyards

which were increasing in size with those who dared to continue to adhere tothe Protestant faith. The silver bells and cockle shells were colloquialisms forinstruments of torture. The 'maids' were a device to behead people similar to

the guillotine.Little Jack Horner

Lit tle Jack Horner sat in the cornerEating his Christmas pie,

He put in his thumb and pulled out a plum

And said "What a good boy am I!" 16th Century history origins of the nursery rhyme.

Little Jack Horner was in fact reputed to be the Steward to the Bishop ofGlastonbury. He was sent to King Henry VIII with a Christmas gift of twelvetitle deeds to manorial estates. Whilst on his way to the King, Jack stole thedeed to the manor of Mells (this being the real 'plum' of the twelve manors)

which was in France. The remaining eleven manors were given to the crownbut the manor of Mells became the property of the Horner family! The first

publication date for the lyrics to this nursery rhyme is 1725.Jack Be Nimble

Jack be nimbleJack be quickJack jump over

The candlestick.Origin lost in the depths of time?

There seems to be no commonly agreed upon origin for this particularnursery rhyme. However it could be connected to Black Jack, a pirate who

was notorious for escaping from the authorities in the late 16th century. Thewords and lyrics of this nursery rhyme cannot be further analysed due to thebrevity of the text of the lyrics but could be associated with the old tradition

and sport of 'candle leaping' which used to be practised at English fayres.


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Hark Hark The Dogs Do BarkHark hark the dogs do bark

The beggars are coming to townSome in rags and some in jags*

And one in a velvet gown.

* Jags- A slash or sl it in a garment exposing material of a differentcolor (especially popular during the Tudor period.)

It refers to the Dissolution of the Monasteries (1536 1540) including, ofcourse St. Nicholas Priory,perpetrated by King Henry VIII and his chief

minister Thomas Cromwell, when England broke from the Catholic religion.

Their objective was to loot the monasteries and seize the monastic lands(which they promptly sold) thus increasing the wealth in the coffers of

England. This resulted in monks begging in the streets and reflected in thelyrics of 'Hark, Hark the dogs do bark'

Goosie Goosie GanderGoosie goosie gander where shall I wander,

Upstairs, downstairs and in my lady's chamberThere I met an old man who wouldn't say his prayers,

I took him by the left leg and threw him down the stairs.Obscure morality Nursery Rhyme

Goosie, goosie gander - an attention grabber to a nursery rhyme which usesalliteration in the lyrics designed to intrigue a child. The 'lady's chamber' is aroom that no longer exists today but English history refers to a high born ladyhaving her own chamber, which was once referred to as a solar. The originsof the nursery rhyme are said to date back in history to the 16th century and

refer to Catholic priests hiding in 'Priest Holes' (very small secret roomsfound in great houses in England) to avoid persecution from zealousProtestants who were completely against the old Catholic religion. If caughtthe priest and also members of any family found harbouring them would be

executed. The moral to the story and in the lyrics is to point out thatsomething unpleasant would occur to anyone found not saying their prayers!


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Ding Dong Bell

Ding dong bell, pussy's in the wellWho put her in? Little Johnny Flynn

Who pulled her out? Litt le Tommy StoutWhat a naughty boy was that, try to drown poor Pussycat,

Who ne'er did any harmBut killed all the mice in the Farmer's barn!

Nursery Rhyme lyrics with a moral themeThe origins of this nursery rhyme date back to the 16th century.Shakespeare uses the phrase in the Tempest - Act I, Scene II:

"Sea nymphs hourly ring his knell:Hark! Now I hear them - Ding, dong, bell."

The lyrics were used to encourage a child to understand that it wasunacceptable and cruel to harm any animal that had done no harm. Thus itteaches morality at an early age and introduces a child to onomatopoeia (a

word that sounds like its meaning). In this nursery rhyme the lyrics andwords "ding dong" when pronounced

convey the actual sounds!

This Is The House That Jack Built

This is the house that Jack buil t!This is the malt that lay in the house that Jack buil t.

This is the rat that ate the maltThat lay in the house that Jack built .

This is the cat that killed the ratThat ate the malt that lay in the house that Jack bui lt.

This is the dog that worried the cat

That ki lled the rat that ate the maltThat lay in the house that Jack built .

This is the cow with the crumpled hornThat tossed the dog that worried the cat

That ki lled the rat that ate the maltThat lay in the house that Jack built .

This is the maiden all forlornThat mi lked the cow with the crumpled horn

That tossed the dog that worried the catThat ki lled the rat that ate the malt

That lay in the house that Jack built .


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This is the man all tattered and tornThat kissed the maiden all forlorn

That mi lked the cow with the crumpled horn



This is the priest all shaven and shornThat married the man all tattered and torn

That kissed the maiden all forlornThat mi lked the cow with the crumpled horn



This is the cock that crowed in the mornThat waked the priest all shaven and shornThat married the man all tattered and torn




This is the farmer sowing his cornThat kept the cock that crowed in the mornThat waked the priest all shaven and shornThat married the man all tattered and torn



That lay in the house that Jack buil t! Origins and history?

The origins and history to the lyrics of this nursery rhyme do not relate tospecific people or occasions but merely reflect the everyday characters andlifestyle which could have been found in rural England and date back to the

16th century. The phrase 'This is the house that Jack built!' is now commonlyused as a derisory term in describing a poorly constructed residence!


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Thirty Days Hath September

Thirty days hath September,April, June and November;

Al l the rest have thi rty oneExcept for February which has but twenty eight!

(And twenty nine each leap year)Nursery Rhyme - Aide Memoire!

The words and lyrics to this useful little nursery rhyme are probably used bymany adults to prompt them into remembering how many days are in each

month! The origins and history of the lyrics are obscure but use of oldeEnglish can date this rhyme back to at least the 16th century. When was thelast time that you found yourself muttering the words to this nursery rhyme?

The North Wind Doth Blow

or 'The Robin'The North wind doth blow and we shall have snow,

And what will poor robin do then, poor thing?He'll sit in a barn and keep himself warm

and hide his head under his wing, poor thing.This nursery rhyme is referred to as either the North Wind doth blow or TheRobin. It is British in its origins - believed to have originated as far back as16th century history and using the olde English word 'doth'. The purpose ofthe rhyme is to ensure that a child associates security and warmth to home

whilst empathising with the plight of the robin.

Three Blind MiceThree blind mice, three blind mice,

See how they run, see how they run,They all ran after the farmer's wi fe,

Who cut off their tails with a carving knife,Did you ever see such a thing in your life,

As three bl ind mice? The origins of the 'tale'!

The origins of the lyrics to this nursery rhyme are in English history. The'farmer's wife' refers to Queen Mary I, otherwise known as 'Bloody Mary' thereference to 'farmer's wife' alludes to the massive farming estates which she

possessed and those of her husband, Philip of Spain. The 'three blind mice'were three noblemen who were plotting against the Queen - she did not

have them dismembered and blinded as inferred in the rhyme - but she didhave them burnt at the stake!


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The Grand Old Duke Of York

Oh, the grand old Duke of York, he had ten thousand menHe marched them up to the top of the hill

and he marched them down again.When they were up, they were upand when they were down, they were down

and when they were only halfway up

they were neither up nor down.

Nursery rhyme origins in British historyThe origins of the lyrics to this nursery rhyme dates back to the 15th century

and refers mockingly to the defeat of the Duke of York in the Wars of theRoses - which were between the house of York (whose symbol was a whiterose) and the house of Lancaster (whose symbol was a red rose. The Wars

of the Roses were originally referred to as the Hundred Years War. TheDuke of York is a title bestowed to the son of the reigning monarch of

England (Prince Andrew is our current Duke of York).

Sing A Song Of Sixpence

(Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie)Sing a song of sixpence a pocket full of rye,Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie.

When the pie was opened the birds began to sing,Oh wasn't that a dainty dish to set before the king?

The king was in his count ing house counting out his money,The queen was in the parlour eating bread and honeyThe maid was in the garden hanging out the clothes,

When down came a blackbird and pecked off her nose!Action Nursery Rhyme

Lovely lyric to this children's action nursery rhyme. The rye was purchasedfor sixpence to attract birds. Blackbirds, and other song birds, were actuallyeaten as a delicacy! However a court jester may well have suggested to thecourt cook that they bake a pie crust and place this over some blackbirds to

surprise and amuse the King! It would not be unreasonable for the blackbirdsto look for revenge hence "When down came a blackbird and pecked off hernose!" Children love the action in this nursery rhyme of tweaking their nose!


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Ride A Cock Horse

Ride a cock horse to Banbury CrossTo see a fine lady upon a white horse

With rings on her fingers and bells on her toesShe shall have music wherever she goes

Ride a cock horse - English history originsThe lyrics of this nursery rhyme relate to Queen Elizabeth I of England (thefine lady) who travelled to Banbury (a town in England) to see the new huge

stone cross which had just been erected. The lyrics 'With rings on herfingers' obviously relates to the fine jewellery which would adorn a Queen.The words 'And bells on her toes' refers to the fashion of attaching bells to

the end of the pointed toes of each shoe! Banbury was situated at the top ofa steep hill and in order to help carriages up the steep incline a white cock

horse (a large stallion) was made available to help with this task. When theQueen's carriage attempted to go up the hill a wheel broke and the Queen

chose to mount the cock horse to reach the Banbury cross. Her visit was soimportant that the people of the town had the cock horse decorated with

ribbons and bells and provided minstrels to accompany her - "she shall havemusic wherever she goes". The big cross at Banbury was later destroyed by

anti - Catholics.

Please note, the following rhyme may be of interest to thechildren BUT, as the visit to St. Nicholas Priory is set in 1602it should not be chosen to perform.

The Lion And The Unicorn

The lion and the unicorn were fighting for the crownThe lion beat the unicorn all around the town.

Some gave them whi te bread, and some gave them brown;

Some gave them plum cake and drummed them out of town.Origins in British history

The lion and the unicorn lyrics date from 1603 when King James VI ofScotland became James I of England unifying the Scottish and Englishcrowns . The virgin Queen Elizabeth 1 named the son of Mary Queen of

Scots, James, as her heir. The new union of the two countries required a newroyal coat of arms combining those of England which featured two lions, and

Scotland, whose coat of arms featured two Unicorns. A compromise wasmade thus the British coat of arms has

one Lion and one Unicorn.

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