Historical Background

The earliest recorded publication of “Humpty Dumpty” dates back to 1810. The rhyme is thought to be an allegorical reference to an enormous cannon used during the siege of Colchester in 1648. After Parliament opened fire at the city wall supporting “Humpty Dumpty,” the large weapon fell to the ground. The Royalists, or “all the King’s men,” tried to lift “humpty dumpty” on to another part of the wall, but failed to do so due to the cannon’s massive weight. “All the King’s horses and all the King’s men couldn’t put Humpty together again.” Alternately, Robert L. Ripley theorized that the original Humpty Dumpty was Richard III, the last of the Plantagenet dynasty, who fell at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485. Humpty Dumpty is also a prominent character in Lewis Carroll’s “Through the Looking-Glass.”

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