Origins of Two Nursery Rhymes

There Was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe and Georgie Porgie

Sep 8, 2008

Was the "old woman" actually a "he?" Was Georgie a English Casanova? The following is a Tale of Two Georges.

Some students of Mother Goose believe that the “old woman” was a symbol for the English Parliament and that the rhyme represents its treatment of its colonies (children) in the 17th Century. Others believe the “old woman” was Mother Goose herself who they claim was Elizabeth Goose, or Vergoose, of colonial Boston. A third group believes the character was Queen Caroline, the wife of Great Britain’s George IV, who had eight children by him. However, the most popular candidate is George IV’s father.

George III of England as the Old Woman in a Shoe

King George (1738-1820) ascended to the British throne in 1760. From almost the start of his reign, Parliament and the common people developed a love-hate relationship with him that lasted until he essentially lost his power in 1810 -- due in large part to mental illness.

During the most strained periods of this relationship, King George was often derisively called behind his back “the old woman.”

Supporters of “George III as the old woman” contend that the “shoe” represents Great Britain, the “children” are Parliament members, and the “bed” is a symbol for the houses of Parliament. They also point out that even today the “whip” is a term used both in Parliament and the American Congress to describe a member whose job is to ensure that members 'toe the party line'.

The Origin of Georgie Porgie

Unlike the case with many other Mother Goose characters, most folklorists agree on who Georgie Porgie was. He was an English nobleman, George Villiers, the Duke of Buckingham, who lived between 1592 and 1628 and was a diplomat and court favorite (and possible lover) of James I. Considered to be “the most handsome man in Europe,“ the amoral Villiers also earned a well deserved reputation as a ladies’ man.

Among his many affairs, his most noted was with the Queen of France, Anne of Austria, who was married to King Louis XIII. The affair created a scandal and did cause some damage to George and Anne’s reputations, but, fortunately for George, King Louis was a great friend of Villiers’ protector, King James, and was willing to overlook the liaison.

Based on his amorous career, the rhyme does fit George/Georgie. That he made the girls cry (probably including his wife) was due to his fickleness. When the “boys came out to play,” (husbands looking for revenge), he, of course, “ran away” (sought the king’s protection).

Villiers did eventually earn disfavor. The Duke’s arrangement to have King James’ son, later Charles I, marry the French Catholic princess Henrietta Maria did not sit well among commoners or courtiers. And, Parliament, tired of Villiers’ affairs and political scheming, did finally order James to stop protecting him.

The copyright of the article Origins of Two Nursery Rhymes in Children's Verse is owned by John K. Davis. Permission to republish Origins of Two Nursery Rhymes in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.