The Disturbing History of "Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary"

Children’s nursery rhymes are meant to be comforting and soothing, right? Oddly enough, many famous children’s rhymes have peculiar histories—from “London Bridge Is Falling Down,” which may be about the actual destruction of the London Bridge by Olaf II of Norway, to “Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush,” which may have been inspired by a mulberry tree in a women’s prison.

But another nursery rhyme that may have a surprisingly dark past is “Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary.” This English nursery rhyme first appeared in print in Tommy Thumb’s Pretty Song Book in 1744, and though there are numerous versions, it usually goes something like, “Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow? With silver bells, and cockle shells, and pretty maids all in a row.” 

These lyrics may seem quite innocuous, but some people believe they’re actually allegories for the reign of Queen Mary I of England, also known as Bloody Mary. During her reign, this staunchly Catholic queen executed hundreds of Protestants. 

There is no substantial evidence that the rhyme refers to Queen Mary. Still, some believe that the “garden” in the rhyme is England, and “silver bells” and “cockle shells” might refer to torture devices used by Mary’s executioners. In other interpretations, the “garden” might refer to graveyards filling with the bodies of Protestants.

During her reign, Queen Mary undid many reforms implemented during the Protestant Reformation, and is believed to have ordered around 200 to 300 Protestants to be burned at the stake. The public executions sparked widespread animosity and caused hundreds more Protestants to flee the country. Still, her efforts to quell Protestantism in England were ultimately unsuccessful.

Interestingly, the number of deaths Queen Mary ordered actually pales in comparison to the legacy left behind by her father Henry VIII. He is believed to have ordered the executions of up to 58,000 people during his reign, many of whom were innocent citizens, and two of whom were his wives, Queen Anne Boleyn and Queen Catherine Howard.

Still, Queen Mary’s legacy is indeed a bloody one, and it may have inspired the seemingly pastoral “Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary.” Some have contested this analysis, as Queen Mary I ruled in the 16th century, and there is no evidence of “Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary” until centuries later. That doesn’t mean it didn’t exist then, though, as many nursery rhymes (and stories on the whole) originated orally and spread that way across history. Either way, you'll probably never hear this nursery rhyme the same way again.