With rings on her fingers and bells on her toes……

Recently somebody asked me why I had returned to live in this strange country.  My reply of course was home is where the heart is.  But it did prompt me to think about a few things.  In this land of constant rain and lush vegetation there are some things that seem just a little peculiar.  If you look at the coat of arms, one of the creatures is mythical and although I find this a little strange, it didn’t surprise me at all to discover that there is such a thing as the Banbury Cross.

Considering it was International Women’s day on Friday, and its Mother’s Day here tomorrow, I thought this might be a fitting weekend to follow this up, considering the content of the rhyme and all. So, I travelled by train from London Marylebone station to Banbury in search of something that had been introduced to me years ago when I was very young.  In my eagerness to research the cross, I also discovered that there is also a statue of a fine Lady upon a white horse.  There are a few different interpretations of what the rhyme may mean, but I think I’ve worked it out, so let’s break it down.

Ride a cock horse, cock in this case refers to the male of the species so I would envision myself riding in on a fine stallion – although on this occasion I took the train.

To Banbury Cross, goes without saying that the cross would be your preferred destination.  I have discovered though that the existing Banbury Cross is the third to be erected.  The first two were torn down by puritans. The cross that stands today was to commemorate the marriage of Queen Victoria’s eldest daughter.

Banbury Cross

 

To see a fine Lady, this was thought to be a member of the Fiennes family, Queen Elizabeth I or Lady Godiva. However, it was more than likely to be a local girl who rode in a May Day procession.  I also found out that there is a burlesque dancer called Miss Banbury Cross, but I don’t think she has anything to do with the nursery rhyme.

The statue of the Lady

 

Upon a white horse, I don’t want to state the obvious, but perhaps her horse was white.

With rings on her fingers, these represent power, affluence, status and so on.  I guess if she could afford a horse and she was wearing rings and people were encouraged to visit Banbury to see her, then she must have been a little bit special.

And bells on her toes, your guess is as good as mine.  I kind of think they just put this line in to fill the space, but the statue that’s in Banbury has Bluebells on the feet and these supposedly represent constancy.

She shall have music where ever she goes. This rhyme has been around for quite some time so I’m sure that this line doesn’t refer to an iPod. I remember reading something about minstrels and if you look at history, the more privileged in the communities such as knights had minstrels.  Although, I don’t know if I’d enjoy being followed around by someone strumming a lute and singing about me but I’m a pauper so I suppose I’ll never find out.

So that’s the rhyme, now for the town. When I arrived in Banbury, I headed straight for the information centre and found that this historic place has a lot to offer.  I found a cafe to get myself a cup of tea and a bacon and brown sauce sandwich, and looked at a map I’d picked up from the centre.

I wandered around looking at some of the lovely old buildings that date back to the 1100’s. Banbury even has a town crier. After taking the pictures I needed for this week’s blog, I went back to the tourist info place and bought some Banbury cakes which we’ll be having for breakfast tomorrow morning. I will let you know what they taste like though.

Hmm, so after revisiting my nursery years and taking a day trip to North Oxfordshire, I can happily tell you that Once upon a time in this strange country, although I’ve never seen a Unicorn and I’m not bloody likely to, I did enjoy my saunter through Banbury to discover a cross and a fine Lady upon a white horse.