Nursery Rhyme Ladies Trivia Quiz

Answer: Queen of Hearts

'The Queen of Hearts, she made some tarts, all on a summer's day. The Knave of Hearts, he stole those tarts and took them clean away'.

This is an old poem with the first published version dating back to 1782, although it may be even older. The characters are from a pack of cards, with the knave of hearts also being known as the jack.

Answer: Old Mother Hubbard

'Old Mother Hubbard, went to the cupboard, to give the poor dog a bone. But when she came there, the cupboard was bare and so the poor dog had none'.

Although that's the only part that most of us know, the rhyme actually has a lot more verses, ending up with the dog being able to sing, dance and read. The first version is described as dating from 1805.

Answer: Mary

'Mary had a little lamb, its fleece was white as snow. And everywhere that Mary went the lamb was sure to go'. The next lines describe how the lamb followed her into school, causing much amusement to the other children.

The rhyme is from America, and was published in 1830.

Answer: Little Miss Muffett

Little Miss Muffet, sat on a tuffet, eating her curds and whey. Along came a spider, who sat down beside her and frightened Miss Muffet away'. A lot of us are frightened of spiders, so it's not surprising that Miss Muffet ran away.

This is another rhyme which first appeared in print in 1805. Although many of the familiar nursery rhymes may well be older, it is normal to take the date they were first printed as being the most reliable way to date them.

Answer: A Fine Lady

'Ride a cock horse to Banbury Cross, to see a fine lady upon a white horse. Rings on her fingers and bells on her toes. She shall have music wherever she goes.' Banbury is a town in England and a statue of the lady on her horse was placed there in 2005.

The rhyme dates at least from the eighteenth century, with several different versions around.

Answer: Margery Daw

'See saw, Margery Daw, Johnny shall have a new master. He shall earn but a penny a day. Because he can't work any faster' is the version I remember from my childhood. Other versions refer to Jacky, and the rhyme appeared in print around 1765.

The name of Margery Daw seems to have been invented to make the verse rhyme. The seesaw is also known as a teeter-totter, so maybe you can come up with a suitable name to fit that version.

Answer: Polly

'Polly put the kettle on - we'll all have tea' is followed by 'Sukey take it off again', so I could have used that name instead. The rhyme is dated to 1803.

Charles Dickens mentions the rhyme in his novel 'Barnaby Rudge', which came out in 1841.

Answer: Kitty Fisher

'Lucy Locket lost her pocket. Kitty Fisher found it. Not a penny was there in it. Only ribbon round it'. The rhyme can be found in written records of 1842. In Victorian times, clothes did not have pockets sewn in to them. They were separate and attached underneath skirts, so it is easier to understand how one could be lost.

Nobody knows exactly who Lucy and Kitty were, and the name 'Locket' might have been chosen just because of the rhyme.

Answer: The Maid

'The maid was in the garden, hanging out the clothes, when down came a blackbird and pecked off her nose' are words from the fourth verse of 'Sing a Song of Sixpence'. Maybe the bird was taking revenge for his 'four and twenty' friends being baked in the pie.

The rhyme is an old one, first published around 1744.

Answer: Jill

'Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water. Jack fell down and broke his crown and Jill came tumbling after'. This is another old rhyme, with a publishing date of approximately 1777.

The earliest versions might have been about two boys, with the second one called Gill, although nobody knows for sure. Modern versions definitely describe a boy and girl.