2 years, 9 months ago
Nursery Rhyme Origins #7 Baa, Baa, Black Sheep.
What is the origin of this nursery rhyme?
If there are varying or conflicting ideas, what are they and which do you think is closest to the truth?
If there are varying or conflicting ideas, what are they and which do you think is closest to the truth?
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M$1 Answer
In the Middle Ages the wool industry was critical to the country's economy. An historical connection for this rhyme has been suggested - a political satire said to refer to the Plantagenet King Edward I (the Master) and the the export tax imposed in Britain in 1275 in which the English Customs Statute authorised the king to collect a tax on all exports of wool in every port in the country.
But further research suggests another possible connection of this Nursery rhyme to English history relating to King Edward II (1307-1327). The best wool in Europe was produced in England but the cloth workers from Flanders, Bruges and Lille were better skilled in the complex finishing trades such as dying and fulling (cleansing, shrinking, and thickening the cloth). King Edward II encouraged Flemmish weavers and cloth dyers to improve the quality of the final English products.
With that said I believe that slaves also had an impact and it is known that slaves used to sing while working but I believe the song "stuck" because of the wool tax of 1275.
But further research suggests another possible connection of this Nursery rhyme to English history relating to King Edward II (1307-1327). The best wool in Europe was produced in England but the cloth workers from Flanders, Bruges and Lille were better skilled in the complex finishing trades such as dying and fulling (cleansing, shrinking, and thickening the cloth). King Edward II encouraged Flemmish weavers and cloth dyers to improve the quality of the final English products.
With that said I believe that slaves also had an impact and it is known that slaves used to sing while working but I believe the song "stuck" because of the wool tax of 1275.
source(s):
www.rhymes.org.uk/baa_baa_black_sheep.htm
www.rhymes.org.uk/baa_baa_black_sheep.htm
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