The Nursery Rhymes Of England

A collection of English nursery rhymes created prior to the nineteenth century.

A nursery rhyme is a short rhyming song or poem that conveys a lesson or tells an amusing story. They are aimed at children. Most well-known nursery rhymes originated in the late 18th or 19th century. The English collections Tommy Thumb's Song Book and Tommy Thumb's Pretty Song Book were published in 1744 by Mary Cooper. The oldest rhymes are lullabies, sung in an effort to get a child to go to sleep. They can be found all over the world but are generally calming and peaceful. Often, the origins of a specific nursery rhyme are unknown. The lyrics also usually go through a period of transformation before they reach the well-known contemporary version. Nursery rhymes come from a number of different sources, from traditional songs, drinking songs, plays, historical events, riddles, proverbs, and more. Often, nursery rhymes were collected in the 19th century by folk song collectors. One of the best was The Nursery Rhymes of England, published in 1842 by James Orchard Halliwell. It sorted the rhymes by origin and inspiration, as well as by topic or use. For example, one could rhyme riddles, nature-rhymes, and fireside stories as headings.