Updates! Updates! Updates!

UPDATES!

As many of you can see, I've been a pretty terrible blogger lately! What can I say...Life.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Day Two of the Truth Behind the Nursery Rhyme: Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary/ London Bridge is Falling Down

So, I thought nursery rhymes could not get more morbid than Ring Around the Rosy (See Day One of the Truth Behind the Nursery Rhyme: Humpty Dumpty/ Ring Around the Rosy.) I was sadly mistaken for Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary is far worse! Fortunately, London Bridge is Falling Down is not nearly as bad. Read on to see what I mean...

Mary Mary quite contrary,How does your garden grow?
With silver bells and cockle shells
And pretty maids all in a row

The Mary alluded to in this traditional English nursery rhyme is reputed to be Mary Tudor, or Bloody Mary, who was the daughter of King Henry VIII. Queen Mary was a 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 to the Protestant faith - Protestant martyrs.

The silver bells and cockle shells referred to in the Nursery Rhyme were colloquialisms for instruments of torture. The 'silver bells' were thumbscrews which crushed the thumb between two hard surfaces by the tightening of a screw. The 'cockleshells' were believed to be instruments of torture which were attached to the genitals!

The 'maids' were a device to behead people called the Maiden. Beheading a victim was fraught with problems. It could take up to 11 blows to actually sever the head, the victim often resisted and had to be chased around the scaffold. Margaret Pole (1473 - 1541), Countess of Salisbury did not go willingly to her death and had to be chased and hacked at by the Executioner. These problems led to the invention of a mechanical instrument (now known as the guillotine) called the Maiden - shortened to Maids in the Mary Mary Nursery Rhyme. The Maiden had long been in use in England before Lord Morton, regent of Scotland during the minority of James VI, had a copy constructed from the Maiden which had been used in Halifax in Yorkshire. Ironically, Lord Morton fell from favor and was the first to experience the Maiden in Scotland!

London Bridge is falling down,
Falling down, falling down,
London Bridge is falling down,
My fair Lady.

Build it up with wood and clay,
Wood and clay, wood and clay,
Build it up with wood and clay,
My fair Lady.

Wood and clay will wash away,
Wash away, wash away,
Wood and clay will wash away,
My fair Lady.

Build it up with bricks and mortar,
Bricks and mortar, bricks and mortar,
Build it up with bricks and mortar,
My fair Lady.

Bricks and mortar will not stay,
Will not stay, will not stay,
Bricks and mortar will not stay,
My fair Lady.

Build it up with iron and steel,
Iron and steel, iron and steel,
Build it up with iron and steel,
My fair Lady.

Iron and steel will bend and bow,
Bend and bow, bend and bow,
Iron and steel will bend and bow,
My fair Lady.

Build it up with silver and gold,
Silver and gold, silver and gold,
Build it up with silver and gold,
My fair Lady.

Silver and gold will be stolen away,
Stolen away, stolen away,
Silver and gold will be stolen away,
My fair Lady.

Set a man to watch all nigh,
Watch all night, watch all night,
Set a man to watch all night,
My fair Lady.

Suppose the man should fall asleep,
Fall asleep, fall asleep,
Suppose the man should fall asleep?
My fair Lady.

Give him a pipe to smoke all night,
Smoke all night, smoke all night,
Give him a pipe to smoke all night,
My fair Lady.

The 'London Bridge is falling down' Nursery Rhyme is based on the one of the most famous landmarks in London. It's history can be traced to the Roman occupation of England in the first century. The first London Bridge was made of wood and clay and was fortified or re-built with the various materials mentioned in the children's nursery rhyme. Many disasters struck the bridges - Viking invaders destroyed the bridge in the 1000's which led to a fortified design, complete with a drawbridge. Building materials changed due to the many fires that broke out on the bridge.

The first stone bridge was designed by Peter de Colechurch and built in 1176 and took 33 years to build and featured twenty arches the dimensions of which were sixty feet high and thirty feet wide and was complete with tower and gates. The flow of the Thames under the bridge was used to turn water wheels below the arches for grinding grain. By the 1300's the bridge contained 140 shops, some of which were more than three stories high. ( The reference to Silver and Gold in the rhyme relates to the trading which was conducted on the bridge). London Bridge survived the Great Fire of London in 1666 but its arches and foundations were weakened.

In the 1820s a new London Bridge was built on another site, north of the old one. This new bridge opened in 1831 and the old bridge was demolished. In the 1960s yet another London Bridge was built. The London Bridge of 1831 was transported, stone by stone, to Lake Havasu in Arizona, USA.

There is another verse. (Sometimes on added onto verses of London Bridge is Falling Down, on its own, or a completely different rhyme called London Bridge is Breaking Down.)  Its origins relate to Queen Anne Boleyn

Take a key and lock her up,
Lock her up, lock her up,
Take a key and lock her up,
My fair lady.

This nursery rhyme refers to the rise and fall of Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII of England. Boleyn was accused of adultery and incest and was ultimately executed for treason.

Original information and images can be found at...

62 comments:

  1. WOW! I did not know that and to me it is a big shock! Mary Quite Contrary is contrary to what I thought. I didn't know that London Bridge was transported to Arizona! Hoping to hear more :-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Fascinating! And certainly nothing to sing about. Were people so sadistic in the old days? So happy to be living in these times. It worried me before that my youngest (3) prefers to sing along with Usher, and Tao Cruise - now I'm actually glad that he does! Very interesting post, AubrieAnne. A little history lesson for us all.
    Moana
    x

    ReplyDelete
  3. I think I’ve heard/read something about it a long time ago. Still, that’s an amazing story. I am quite interested in English queens lately but reading historical books is not so appealing... so I'm reading novels by Philippa Gregory; the world of old England is such a fascinating place!
    Mira

    ReplyDelete
  4. dtwilight...Yes, a lot of the history behind these rhymes surprised me too! I had no clue until I found these.

    Matt...Crazy is a good word.

    Moana...That's how I feel. I definately think that this history is fascinating and sometimes I think I would like to live back then, but then I remember the no electricity, no toilets, no sewage or drainage. It's a scary thing. Not to mention the hangings and beheading. Yikes!

    Mira...I love the English queens as well. A lot of the history classes I took mainly focused on England or that part of Europe around the Medieval Period and the Tudor Period. Really, really interesting stuff!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi, I followed you on Google from www.madamedeals.com. I hope you follow me back. Thanks : )

    ReplyDelete
  6. Amee...Thanks for finding me and for following. Please join in the conversation if you get a chance. We have a fascinating topic going on all week!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great stories on the nursery rhymes! I had no idea of their meanings. May have to work it into my homeschooling group for the kids.

    ReplyDelete
  8. The Adventurer...That could be very interesting for them. :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. I grew up singing the first and last verses, I had never heard the rest for London Bridge!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Teresa...Thank you for saying so, for finding me, and for following. I hope you have a great day as well!

    Rose...That's what another commentor and I were saying, that there were a lot of new verses that these websites revealed. It's kind of cool though.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I visited multiple web pages except the audio quality for audio songs present
    at this web site is really marvelous.

    Feel free to visit my page ... Abercrombie & Fitch

    ReplyDelete
  12. I read this paragraph fully regarding the difference of newest
    and earlier technologies, it's remarkable article.

    my blog :: Louis Vuitton Bags

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thank you for the auspicious writeup. It in fact was a amusement account
    it. Look advanced to far added agreeable from you!
    By the way, how can we communicate?

    Feel free to visit my page :: Sidney Crosby Black Jersey

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hi to all, since I am actually keen of reading this website's post to be updated daily. It consists of nice stuff.

    My blog post ... Gucci Sito Ufficiale Scarpe

    ReplyDelete
  15. This website was... how do you say it? Relevant!! Finally
    I have found something that helped me. Thanks a lot!


    Here is my homepage: Louis Vuitton Bags

    ReplyDelete
  16. Highly descriptive blog, I enjoyed that bit. Will there be a part
    2?

    Feel free to surf to my website: Read More

    ReplyDelete
  17. What's up everybody, here every one is sharing these kinds of familiarity, so it's fastidious to read
    this weblog, and I used to pay a visit this weblog
    every day.

    Here is my site; Abercrombie

    ReplyDelete
  18. It's amazing to pay a quick visit this website and reading the views of all friends concerning this piece of writing, while I am also eager of getting knowledge.

    Feel free to visit my page - louis Vuitton bags

    ReplyDelete
  19. Incredible! This blog looks just like my old one!
    It's on a completely different subject but it has pretty much the same layout and design. Great choice of colors!

    my site - cheap legal highs

    ReplyDelete
  20. I would like to thank you for the efforts you've put in writing this website. I'm hoping to see the same
    high-grade content by you later on as well. In fact, your creative writing abilities has encouraged
    me to get my own, personal blog now ;)

    My blog post; Sac A Main Louis Vuitton

    ReplyDelete
  21. Quality articles is the secret to interest the users to visit the website, that's what this web page is providing.

    Feel free to surf to my web site: Michael Kors Outlet

    ReplyDelete
  22. great issues altogether, you just received a emblem new reader.
    What would you suggest about your publish that you simply made a few
    days in the past? Any certain?

    Feel free to surf to my webpage: Air Jordan 2013

    ReplyDelete
  23. Magnificent issues altogether, you just received a new reader.
    What could you recommend about your publish that you made some days in the
    past? Any positive?

    My blog; mai9.net

    ReplyDelete
  24. I'm no longer positive the place you're getting your info, but great topic.
    I must spend a while learning more or understanding more.
    Thank you for magnificent info I was looking for this information for my mission.



    Review my webpage Louis Vuitton Bags

    ReplyDelete
  25. I have been browsing online more than 4 hours today, yet I never found any interesting article like yours.
    It's pretty worth enough for me. In my opinion, if all webmasters and bloggers made good content as you did, the net will be much more useful than ever before.

    My weblog; Air Jordan Femme

    ReplyDelete
  26. It's wonderful that you are getting ideas from this article as well as from our argument made here.

    my homepage - Air Max

    ReplyDelete
  27. Greetings from Idaho! I'm bored at work so I decided to check out your blog on my iphone during lunch break. I love the info you present here and can't wait to take a look when I get home.
    I'm shocked at how quick your blog loaded on my cell phone .. I'm not even using WIFI, just 3G .

    . Anyhow, great blog!

    Also visit my blog post - Cheap Louis Vuitton Bags

    ReplyDelete
  28. Hmm is anyone else having problems with the pictures on this blog loading?
    I'm trying to determine if its a problem on my end or if it's the blog.
    Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

    my web site: Oakley Holbrook

    ReplyDelete
  29. I'm really impressed with your writing skills and also with the layout on your blog. Is this a paid theme or did you customize it yourself? Either way keep up the excellent quality writing, it's rare to see a nice blog like this one nowadays.



    my web blog - Gafas De Sol Oakley

    ReplyDelete
  30. Thanks for any other informative blog. The place else may just I get that kind
    of information written in such an ideal manner? I've a challenge that I'm just now
    running on, and I've been at the glance out for such info.

    my web page ... Nike Air Max

    ReplyDelete
  31. Hello there! I could have sworn I've visited your blog before but after looking at many of the posts I realized it's new to me.
    Anyhow, I'm certainly pleased I found it and I'll be book-marking it and checking
    back regularly!

    Also visit my homepage: NFL Jerseys Cheap

    ReplyDelete
  32. I blog often and I truly appreciate your content. This article has really peaked my interest.

    I am going to bookmark your website and keep checking for
    new details about once a week. I subscribed to your
    RSS feed too.

    Feel free to visit my homepage Chaussure De Foot

    ReplyDelete
  33. It's genuinely very complicated in this busy life to listen news on Television, therefore I just use the web for that purpose, and obtain the latest information.

    Stop by my webpage ... Christian Louboutin Heels

    ReplyDelete
  34. This web site truly has all of the information I needed concerning this subject and
    didn't know who to ask.

    my web-site; Get More Information

    ReplyDelete
  35. Hi, I do think this is a great blog. I stumbledupon it ;)
    I will revisit once again since I book-marked it.
    Money and freedom is the greatest way to change, may you be rich and continue to guide others.


    Here is my web blog - This Site

    ReplyDelete
  36. I got this site from my pal who shared with
    me on the topic of this web page and at the moment this time I am visiting this site
    and reading very informative posts at this time.

    my page - Continued

    ReplyDelete
  37. Great post. I will be facing some of these issues as well.
    .

    Feel free to surf to my weblog; herbal Party Pills

    ReplyDelete
  38. Wow, awesome blog layout! How lengthy have you ever been blogging for?
    you made blogging glance easy. The full glance
    of your website is excellent, let alone the content!



    Feel free to surf to my web page - resources

    ReplyDelete
  39. What's up colleagues, nice piece of writing and fastidious arguments commented at this place, I am in fact enjoying by these.

    Also visit my web blog - continue reading

    ReplyDelete
  40. It's an awesome piece of writing designed for all the internet viewers; they will take benefit from it I am sure.

    my web page: Sac Guess Pas Cher

    ReplyDelete
  41. Hi, i think that i saw you visited my site so i got here to go
    back the want?.I am trying to to find issues to improve
    my website!I suppose its good enough to use a
    few of your ideas!!

    my blog :: Air Jordan Pas Cher

    ReplyDelete
  42. bookmarked!!, I love your web site!

    Feel free to surf to my web site ... Michael Kors Bags

    ReplyDelete
  43. Great delivery. Sound arguments. Keep up the good work.


    my homepage - Air Max Pas Cher

    ReplyDelete
  44. Your way of describing the whole thing in this article is really nice, all be able to without difficulty be aware of it, Thanks a
    lot.

    My web page: Wholesale NFL Jerseys

    ReplyDelete
  45. I am regular visitor, how are you everybody? This paragraph posted at this site is truly fastidious.



    Look into my page - Air Jordan

    ReplyDelete
  46. Its like you read my mind! You seem to know a lot about this, like you wrote the book in it or something.
    I think that you could do with a few pics
    to drive the message home a little bit, but
    other than that, this is great blog. A fantastic read.
    I will certainly be back.

    Here is my web-site Air Max Pas Cher

    ReplyDelete
  47. You've made some really good points there. I looked on the net for more info about the issue and found most people will go along with your views on this web site.

    Feel free to visit my web blog; Chaussure De Foot

    ReplyDelete
  48. If you desire to obtain much from this paragraph then you
    have to apply these techniques to your won blog.


    Review my weblog :: Nike Trainers - www.whatsot.com -

    ReplyDelete
  49. I've been browsing on-line more than three hours lately, but I by no means discovered any fascinating article like yours. It's beautiful ωorth enough for me.

    In mу vieω, if all web oωnerѕ and bloggеrѕ maԁe ϳust rіght content mаtеrial as you ρrobablу dіd, the nеt ѕhall be а lot
    moгe helpful than ever befοге.


    Αlso viѕit mу weblog - spice herbal incense

    ReplyDelete
  50. Defіnitely believe thаt whiсh you stated.
    Your favourite rеаson appeaгed
    to be at thе inteгnet thе еasieѕt
    factor to be аware of. I say to уοu, I defіnitely get irked аt the same time as fоlκs think about conceгnѕ thаt they juѕt don't understand about. You controlled to hit the nail upon the highest and outlined out the entire thing with no need side effect , other people can take a signal. Will probably be again to get more. Thanks

    Also visit my blog: herbal party pills

    ReplyDelete
  51. Hi there, I check your new stuff regularly. Your story-telling
    style is awesome, keep doing what you're doing!

    Feel free to surf to my web page ... Nike Blazers Shoes

    ReplyDelete
  52. Usually I do not read post on blogs, however I wish
    to say that this write-up very pressured me to check out and do so!
    Your writing taste has been surprised me.
    Thanks, quite nice article.

    Feel free to surf to my web-site Air Max

    ReplyDelete
  53. Thank you a bunch for sharing this with all folks
    you actually understand what you are speaking approximately!
    Bookmarked. Please also discuss with my site =). We could have a link
    trade contract among us

    My web-site ... Mulberry Outlet

    ReplyDelete
  54. I have been exploring for a little bit for any high-quality articles or
    weblog posts in this kind of space . Exploring in Yahoo I eventually stumbled upon this site.
    Reading this information So i am glad to express that I've an incredibly excellent uncanny feeling I found out just what I needed. I most surely will make certain to do not put out of your mind this website and provides it a glance on a relentless basis.

    my blog post - Full Report

    ReplyDelete
  55. Hi there! I know this is kind of off topic but I was wondering if
    you knew where I could get a captcha plugin
    for my comment form? I'm using the same blog platform as yours and I'm having trouble
    finding one? Thanks a lot!

    My web-site Jordan Femme

    ReplyDelete
  56. Why is there a picture of Tower Bridge, which has never fallen down? It is farther down the river, near the Tower, and should not be confused with London Bridge.

    ReplyDelete
  57. that is crazy dude

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for adding to the conversations! This blog is a part of the "Follow Me If You Dare Revolution!" Join the Revolution here...http://whosyoureditor.blogspot.com/p/do-you-dare_18.html...to promote the best kind of following!