Were nursery rhymes once coded tools for political protest and anti-clericalism?
We often view nursery rhymes as innocent childhood entertainment, but their history is far more complex. From 17th-century origins to 18th-century publications, these verses may have served as secret vessels for historical narratives, propaganda, or even subversive social commentary hidden in plain sight.
While the term 'nursery rhyme' only dates to around 1800, the tradition of oral childlore is much older. Many of the rhymes we recognize today emerged during the 17 and 18th centuries, though some, like 'To market, to market', date back to the late 16th century. These verses were often pulled from diverse sources, including drinking songs, proverbs, and even ancient pagan rituals. Some scholars, like John Bellenden Ker, even argued that these rhymes were actually 'translations' of a hypothetical early Dutch dialect, suggesting they contained hidden anti-clerical sentiments.
The transition from oral tradition to printed book changed the nature of these rhymes. In 1744, Mary Cooper published the first English collections, 'Tommy Thumb's Song Book' and its sequel. Later, in 1780, Thomas Carnan introduced the 'Mother Goose' moniker. This era also saw a shift in publishing focus from purely educational or polemic texts toward entertainment. However, this period was also when many rhymes began to be 'cleaned up'. In the late 19th century, American publishers like Jacob Abbot and Samuel Goodrich revised rhymes to remove elements of violence and crime.
This practice of 'bowdlerisation' remains a point of contention. While some sought to make rhymes safer, psychoanalysts like Bruno Bettelheim argued that removing violence could strip the rhymes of their ability to help children symbolically resolve fears or experience catharsis. Even in the late 20th century, debates persisted regarding 'political correctness' and the linguistic updating of classics, such as the 1986 controversy in Britain involving 'Baa, Baa, Black Sheep'. Despite these debates, the fundamental utility of rhyme—aiding spatial reasoning and mathematical development—remains a significant area of study.
Source: Nursery rhyme
