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.
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