"Ride a Cock Horse to Banbury Cross..." Quiz

Answer:

The earliest of the modern versions that have been found of this rhyme date back to 1784 and can be found in "Gammer Gurton's Garland or The Nursery Parnassus", which was printed in London. In that version, they don't tell of a fine lady but, instead, talk of an old woman. The lines go as follows;

"A ring on her finger, a bonnet of straw,
the strangest old woman that ever you saw".

The exact date as to when the original rhyme was written is not known but there are arguments that it dates back to Medieval times. The reasons behind this argument are that wearing bells on your shoes was a fashion statement during the 15th century (the 1400s). The other argument put forward is that the original Banbury Cross did not exist during the 1700s as it was torn down around 1600. A new Banbury Cross was not erected until 1859 to celebrate the wedding of Queen Victoria's eldest daughter, the Princess Royal, to Prince Frederick of Prussia.

Other interesting items about the rhyme include the term "a cock horse", which can have a couple of meanings, and is dependent upon how it is said. For example, "a cock-horse" would refer to a horse that was energetic and of high spirits, whereas "a-cock horse" would mean sitting astride (with legs on each side) the horse.

As to who the "fine lady" is in the rhyme, that has also been the subject of debate over the years. Some argue that it was Queen Elizabeth I, who ruled England between 1558 and 1603, while others claim that it is Lady Godiva, who died somewhere between 1066 and 1086. There is a legend about her riding naked (on a white horse) through the streets of Coventry as a protest of the heavy taxes that her husband was imposing upon his tenants.

Finally, the alternate version is simply one of many additional verses that have been added to the original.