Jack and Jill: The story behind the poem  

The nursery rhyme, Jack and Jill, is so popular that almost everyone can repeat its lines:
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
Though more stanzas have been added over time, these four lines were the entire poem when it was first published in London in 1765, in a reprint of John Newbery’s Mother Goose’s Melody. Due to the popularity of the rhyme, people have always wondered about the story behind the poem.

One theory is that the poem is based on the Norse mythology. There is a story in the 13th century Icelandic book Gylfaginning meaning ‘The Beguiling of Gylfi’. It tells the story of a brother and sister called Hjuki and Bil (which sound somewhat like Jack and Jill). The two went to draw water from a well but were abducted by the moon. What casts doubt on this theory is that it does not explain why they came tumbling down. 

Another theory is that the poem tells the story of the last French King, Louis XVI, and his queen Marie Antoinette. When the French Revolution happened, Louis and Marie were arrested by the revolutionaries. The popular French mood was against monarchy and in favour of a republic. Following a trial, Louis was beheaded (broke his crown). This was followed by the beheading of Marie (Jill came tumbling after). Though the poem seems to fit the events, the timeline makes it unlikely. As noted above, the poem was first published in 1765, while Louis was beheaded in 1793.

A more likely theory is that the poem is a satire on the tax increase on beer by King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland. Charles was an unpopular king who wanted to increase taxes on half-pints of beer, called Jack. The Parliament, however, rejected it. Determined to implement the measure by any means, Charles decided to reduce the volume a jack would hold while keeping the tax amount the same.

This was done by reducing the royal measure of half-pint, which was represented by a crown symbol. The tax was effectively increased. Thus, Jack ‘fell down and broke his crown’.

When the half-pint measure was reduced, the quarter-pint measure, called Gill, automatically got reduced, so ‘Jill came tumbling after’. In those days, it was common practice in the pubs to dilute the beer by mixing water in it. Hence, the line that Jack and Jill went up the hill to ‘fetch a pail of water’. What pulls the needle of belief towards this theory is that in the original printed version, Jill was spelt as Gill.

<br /> The nursery rhyme, Jack and Jill, is so popular that almost everyone can repeat its lines:<br /> Jack and Jill went up the hill<br /> To fetch a pail of water.<br /> Jack fell down and broke his crown, <br /> And Jill came tumbling after<br /> Though more stanzas have been added over time, these four lines were the entire poem when it was first published in London in 1765, in a reprint of John Newbery’s Mother Goose’s Melody. Due to the popularity of the rhyme, people have always wondered about the story behind the poem.</p> <p>One theory is that the poem is based on the Norse mythology. There is a story in the 13th century Icelandic book Gylfaginning meaning ‘The Beguiling of Gylfi’. It tells the story of a brother and sister called Hjuki and Bil (which sound somewhat like Jack and Jill). The two went to draw water from a well but were abducted by the moon. What casts doubt on this theory is that it does not explain why they came tumbling down. </p> <p>Another theory is that the poem tells the story of the last French King, Louis XVI, and his queen Marie Antoinette. When the French Revolution happened, Louis and Marie were arrested by the revolutionaries. The popular French mood was against monarchy and in favour of a republic. Following a trial, Louis was beheaded (broke his crown). This was followed by the beheading of Marie (Jill came tumbling after). Though the poem seems to fit the events, the timeline makes it unlikely. As noted above, the poem was first published in 1765, while Louis was beheaded in 1793.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });</p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.81 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad200503 " id="quads-ad200503" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.81 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7550963679842137" data-ad-slot="1823845571"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>A more likely theory is that the poem is a satire on the tax increase on beer by King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland. Charles was an unpopular king who wanted to increase taxes on half-pints of beer, called Jack. The Parliament, however, rejected it. Determined to implement the measure by any means, Charles decided to reduce the volume a jack would hold while keeping the tax amount the same.</p> <p>This was done by reducing the royal measure of half-pint, which was represented by a crown symbol. The tax was effectively increased. Thus, Jack ‘fell down and broke his crown’.</p> <p>When the half-pint measure was reduced, the quarter-pint measure, called Gill, automatically got reduced, so ‘Jill came tumbling after’. In those days, it was common practice in the pubs to dilute the beer by mixing water in it. Hence, the line that Jack and Jill went up the hill to ‘fetch a pail of water’. What pulls the needle of belief towards this theory is that in the original printed version, Jill was spelt as Gill.<br />