"Old Mother Hubbard" (nursery rhyme)
"Old Mother Hubbard" is a well-known English nursery rhyme that dates back to at least the early 1800s. The rhyme tells the story of a woman who goes to her cupboard to find a bone for her dog, only to discover that the cupboard is empty. The first stanza is the most memorable, highlighting the dog’s plight and the humorous turn of events that follow, where the dog is later found engaging in various amusing activities. While the origins of the rhyme are not definitively established, some theories suggest it may relate to historical events involving King Henry VIII and Cardinal Wolsey, while others propose it might have been inspired by a real woman living in Devon with her dog in the 1700s.
The first known publication of "Old Mother Hubbard" was in 1804, credited to author Sarah Catherine Martin. Over the years, the rhyme has appeared in countless children's books and has been adapted into shorter, modern versions that often end with the dog happily receiving a bone. Originally part of a rich oral storytelling tradition, nursery rhymes like "Old Mother Hubbard" serve both as entertainment and as cultural artifacts, reflecting historical narratives and moral lessons, even as their original meanings may fade over time. Today, "Old Mother Hubbard" remains a popular choice among children's rhymes, frequently sung and recited in family settings.
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"Old Mother Hubbard" (nursery rhyme)
“Old Mother Hubbard” is an English nursery rhyme that has existed since at least the early 1800s. The exact origins of the rhyme are unknown, although some people believe it told of an ill-fated Catholic cardinal who lived in Tudor England. Others believe it was written about a real woman who lived in a cottage in Devon, England, with her dog in the 1700s. The first known printing of the rhyme took place in a picture book published in 1804. Today, the nursery rhyme remains famous, and it is still a popular rhyme to teach to children.
Background
“Old Mother Hubbard” is an example of a classic nursery rhyme. Nursery rhymes are stories or poems that are read or sung to young children. Nursery rhymes are usually short poems that have specific rhyming and rhythm patterns that make them especially memorable for young children. Many of the nursery rhymes told to children today originated hundreds of years ago, and the origins of many nursery rhymes are unclear. Many nursery rhymes were told as oral stories before they were written down in books. However, in the 1800s and 1900s, many books were published that included English-language nursery rhymes. The stories are often illustrated with colorful pictures to engage children’s interest. Some nursery rhymes teach lessons. For example, “Itsy Bitsy Spider” teaches readers that success is possible when you keep trying. Other nursery rhymes tell stories about famous people or episodes in history. For example, “Mary, Mary Quite Contrary” might have been about Queen Mary I, who was known for her violent punishment of her political enemies.
Overview
The first stanza of the nursery rhyme is the most famous, as it is the part of the rhyme most people remember and reference. It tells about a woman who wants to give her dog a bone but cannot find one.
Old Mother Hubbard
Went to the cupboard
To get her poor dog a bone;
But when she got there,
The cupboard was bare,
And so the poor dog had none.
In the traditional version of the nursery rhyme, the next stanza states that the dog dies when Mother Hubbard fails to feed it. However, the following stanza changes the mood of the rest of the poem, as it says the dog is “laughing” because it was just playing dead. The rest of the poem has a similar jovial tone and tells about various items Mother Hubbard goes to get for the dog (e.g., tripe, a hat, a coat, some shoes) and about the various things she find her dog doing (e.g., smoking a pipe, feeding the cat, riding a goat, reading the news) when she returns. Some modern versions of the nursery rhyme are different. These modern versions are generally shorter and end with Old Mother Hubbard finding a bone for her dog.
The origins of “Old Mother Hubbard” have been explained in numerous ways. Some believe the poem is about a fight between a British king and a Catholic cardinal. King Henry VIII took the throne in 1509 and started his reign as a Catholic monarch who was devoted to his religion. However, he broke ties with the Church when Cardinal Thomas Wolsey refused to grant him a divorce from Queen Katherine of Aragon. Henry had fallen in love with Anne Boleyn and wanted to have the Catholic Church acknowledge his divorce and approve a marriage to Boleyn. When Wolsey refused, King Henry broke with the Catholic Church and formed the English Protestant Church. Some people believe that, in the nursery rhyme, Old Mother Hubbard is a stand-in for Wolsey who is searching the “cupboard” (the Catholic Church). He wants to give the “doggie” (King Henry) a “bone” (a divorce). King Henry had Wolsey killed for his disobedience, which makes this a dark possible origin story for the rhyme. Only the first few stanzas of the poem could relate directly to the drama between Wolsey and King Henry; however, it is possible that the original rhyme was made longer in later years to make it more enjoyable for children.
Other people disagree that the rhyme is about King Henry VIII and Wolsey. The first known printing of “Old Mother Hubbard” was in the early 1800s. An author named Sarah Catherine Martin published the “Old Mother Hubbard” rhyme in a book of children’s stories. Some people believe Martin wrote the story based on a woman and her dog who lived in Devon, England, in the later 1700s. In the 1960s, the city of Devon decided to the save the historic cottage in which the inspiration for Old Mother Hubbard may have lived. The cottage still stands, and people still visit it.
It seems likely that the “Old Mother Hubbard” nursery rhyme was related to rhymes that came before it, whether or not it was also based on a real historical figure. The first time that a character named Mother Hubbard shows up in English literature is in the 1500s in English poet Edmund Spenser’s book Complaints, Containing Sundry Small Poems of the World’s Vanity. The book contained a satirical poem in which Old Mother Hubbard was the narrator, though the poem was not about her feeding a dog. It could be that Mother Hubbard became a popular character that was used in multiple rhymes and stories.
Over time, the rhyme was printed in many different children’s books and published in different languages. The story changed over time as it was translated and made to please changing audiences. Today, people continue to reference “Old Mother Hubbard” and tell the nursery rhyme to children. Any historical meaning to the poem has been lost and now it is told just an entertainment. The nursery rhyme is often put to music and sung.
Bibliography
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Decon, John. “Sauntering Through the South Hams.” Bus-Pass Britain: 50 of the Nation’s Favourite Bus Journeys, edited by Susanne Kries, Nicky Gardner, Tim Locke. Bradt Travel Guides, 2016.
Delamar, Gloria T. Mother Goose: From Nursery to Literature. McFarland, 1987.
Galway, Elizabeth. “Nursery Rhymes.” Oxford Bibliographies, 28 Apr. 2017, www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199791231/obo-9780199791231-0124.xml. Accessed 9 Feb. 2020.
Immel, Andrea. “Mother Hubbard and Her Dog Go Abroad in Translation.” Cotsen Children’s Library, Princeton University, 26 May 2017, blogs.princeton.edu/cotsen/2017/05/the-adventures-abroad-of-mother-hubbard-and-her-dog/. Accessed 9 Feb. 2020.
“Old Mother Hubbard.” BBC, 2019, www.bbc.co.uk/teach/school-radio/nursery-rhymes-old-mother-hubbard/zdsmd6f. Accessed 9 Feb. 2020.
“Old Mother Hubbard.” Nursery Rhymes and Traditional Poems, etc.usf.edu/lit2go/74/nursery-rhymes-and-traditional-poems/5306/old-mother-hubbard/. Accessed 9 Feb. 2020.
Spenser, Edmund. “Prosopopoia: or Mother Hubbard’s Tale.” Representative Poetry Online, rpo.library.utoronto.ca/poems/prosopopoia-or-mother-hubbards-tale. Accessed 9 Feb. 2020.
Tearle, Oliver. Britain By the Book: A Curious Tour of Our Literary Landscape. John Murray Publishers, 2017.