Re: CHAT: Humpty Dumpty (was: con-childish taunts)

At 7:58 am +0100 19/5/99 I wrote:
........
>Ah, why did I mention him!  I'll have to do a bit of research again.
>But IIRC "he" was some sort artillery piece - or some war engine -
>used in the civil war between Cromwell's "Roundheads" and the royalists.
>There were other versions of the poem.  One began:
>
>'Humpty Dumpty fell in a beck'...
>
>'Beck' is an dialect word for "stream".  The next line ended with 'neck',
>but I don't recall the other words now.
>
>I'll report back  :)
OK - a bit more info.

During the English Civil War (1642-49), the Parliamentarian stronghold of
Colchester in Essex had been captured by the Royalists in the summer of
1648.  For 11 weeks the Royalists held out against a Parliamentarian
("Roundhead") siege.

Humpty Dumpty was a powerful cannon mounted by the Royalists on the top of
the tower of the church of 'St Mary at the Wall' to aid in the defense of
the town.  However, the church tower was hit by the Roundheads and the top
of the tower was blown off.  Humpty Dumpty fell to the ground and despite
all the efforts of the King's horses (i.e. the calvalry) and the King's men
(i.e. the infantry) the cannon couldn't be salvaged.

I believe the ground where 'he' fell was marshy and that his remains are
said to be still buried there.

So far I've not successfully found the words of: "Humpty Dumpty fell in a
beck"  :)

Ray.