Saturday, July 7, 2018

Of Nursery Rhymes, Castles and the Cross

History and legends of Colchester. From Regina Jeffers:
Local legend places Colchester as the seat of  King Cole (or Coel) of the rhyme Old King Cole, a legendary ancient king of Britain. In folk etymology the name Colchester was thought of as meaning Cole’s Castle, though this theory does not have academic support. In the legend Helena, the daughter of Cole, married the Roman senator Constantius Chlorus, who had been sent by Rome as an ambassador and was named as Cole’s successor. Helena’s son became Emperor Constantine I. Helena was canonised as  Saint Helena of Constantinople and is credited with finding the true cross and the remains of the Magi.  She is now the patron saint of Colchester. This is recognised in the emblem of Colchester: a cross and three crowns. The Mayor’s medallion contains a Byzantine style icon of Saint Helena. A local secondary school – St Helena’s – is named after her, and her statue is atop the town hall, although local legend is that it was originally a statue of Blessed Virgin Mary which was later fitted with a cross.

Colchester is also the most widely credited source of the rhyme Humpty Dumpty. During the siege of Colchester in the Civil War, a Royalist sniper known as One-Eyed Thompson sat in the belfry of the church of St Mary-at-the-Walls (Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall) and was given the nickname Humpty Dumpty, most likely because of his size, Humpty Dumpty being a common insult for the overweight. Thompson was shot down (Humpty Dumpty had a great fall) and, shortly after, the town was lost to the Parliamentarians (all the king’s horses and all the king’s men / couldn’t put Humpty together again.) Another version says that Humpty Dumpty was a cannon on the top of the church. The church of St Mary-at-the-Walls still retains its Norman tower until the top few feet, which are a Georgian repair. (Read more.)
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