Poems
Old Mother Hubbard
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.
She went to the baker’s
To buy him some bread;
And when she came back,
The poor dog was dead.
She went to the joiner’s
To buy him a coffin;
And when she came back,
The doggy was laughin’.
She went to the butcher’s
To buy him some tripe;
And when she came back,
He was smoking his pipe.
She went to the hatter’s
To buy him a hat;
And when she came back,
He was feeding the cat.
She went to the barber’s
To buy him a wig;
And when she came back,
He was dancing a jig.
She went to the tailor’s
To buy him a coat;
And when she came back,
He was riding a goat.
She went to the cobbler’s
To buy him some shoes;
And when she came back,
He was reading the news.
“Origins of lyrics in British history
The Old Mother Hubbard referred to in these nursery rhyme words and lyrics allude to the famous Cardinal Wolsey. Cardinal Wolsey was the most important politician and churchman of the Tudor history period in 16th century England. Cardinal Wolsey proved to be a faithful servant but displeased the King, Henry VIII, by failing to arrange the King’s divorce from Queen Katherine of Aragon which would enable him to marry Anne Boleyn. The King was the “doggie” and the “bone” alludes to the divorce (and not money as many believe) The cupboard relates to the Catholic Church”
Poor doggie Hubbard
without grub or yard
decided to look for himself
again he despaired
he found ants that were there
eating crumbs from the cupboard shelves.
The book was immediately popular, possibly in part because it was handy for political commentary (a practice that continues to this day).
Old Mother Hubbard
Went to the cupboard,
To fetch her poor dog a bone.
But when she got there,
The cupboard was bare,
And so the poor dog had none.
She went to the fishmonger’s
To buy him some fish;
But when she came back,
He was licking the dish.
She went to the grocer’s
To buy him some fruit;
But when she came back,
He was playing the flute.
She went to the cobbler’s
To buy him some shoes;
But when she came back,
He was reading the news!
Analysis (ai):
- Emotional Restraint:
- Form and Structure:
- Place in the Author’s Work:
- Comparison to Contemporaries:
- Engagement with Later Themes:
- Less-Discussed Angle:
Sarah Catherine Martin
(1768 – 1826)
Sarah Catherine Martin was the sister of Mrs Pollexfen Bastard of Kitley House and the rhyme is supposed to be based on the old housekeeper at Kitley and was written by Sarah for the entertainment of the family and other guests during her stay.
However, Sarah Catherine Martin has an interesting history herself, details of which were discovered in the Archive amongst our information on the history of Yealmpton.
Sarah Martin was the daughter of Sir Henry Martin, the resident Commissioner of the Royal Navy at Portsmouth. The family enjoyed frequent visits from Prince William Henry, third son of King George III, who was serving on H.M.S Hebe at the time. Sarah and William fell deeply in love and both desperately wanted to marry.
