The true origin of this nursery rhyme is not known. Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania),, page 6 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. This is another famous rhyme of unknown origin. Wheeling Register (Wheeling, West Virginia), 24 June 1884, page 2 There is no evidence as to the origin, but you may be surprised to learn that many early versions refer to Jack and “Gill” instead of Jill, as seen in this 1884 newspaper article. This popular nursery rhyme dates to the 16th Century. Logically, the “little boy who lives down the lane” could have been an assistant, or someone who benefited from his charity. Although not proved, I believe this is the not-so-hidden meaning behind “Baa Baa Black Sheep.”Ī 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. However, after reading the lyrics carefully, it appears to me that the song describes a common system of sharing the fruits of one’s labor. Neither of these explanations about the meaning of the rhyme is substantiated. 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. Some report that the song had a connection to a British tax on wool, or sadly even the slave trade. The first known publication of this famous nursery rhyme was in Tommy Thumb’s Pretty Song Book, a sequel to the lost publication Tommy Thumb’s Song Book of 1744. Select S for “substantiated” and U for “unsubstantiated.” 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. 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. I decided to research some of the common nursery rhyme claims, and came to the conclusion that you can’t believe everything you read or hear! Mary of “Mary Had a Little Lamb” was a real person.“Ring-a-Round the Rosie” describes people dying from the bubonic plague.What was “Ring-a-Round the Rosie” really all about? Eventually all genealogists hear rumors about the historical origins and meanings behind popular nursery rhymes, such as: Mary is a genealogist, author and editor with a strong technology background. Introduction : In this article, Mary Harrell-Sesniak provides another fun quiz to test your knowledge of the origins of some familiar nursery rhymes-and provides examples from historical newspapers.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |