When it comes to Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes not many of us know the history behind it. One thing that is interesting is that Mother Goose nursery rhymes are actually only well known in English speaking countries, United States and England being the two most popular spots for these nursery rhymes. Many people don’t know that these rhymes were actually created to help teach children different concepts, but they were also created to help soothe little ones to sleep when they were crying.
Here is a look at the history of mother goose nursery rhymes.
1650 - The earliest known written reference, which uses the term 'Mother Goose' in relation to a collection of stories, was in a monthly periodical. This periodical was written by the French critic Jean Loret (1610 - 1665). It was in his 1650 "La Muse Historique" which contains the line, "Comme un conte de la Mere Oye" which translates into "Like a Mother Goose story".
1697 – During this year Charles Perrault, who was a French man, published a collection of eight famous folk tales. This collection included Sleeping Beauty. Little Red Riding Hood, and Cinderella. The name of this collection was called “Histories and Tales of Long Ago, with Morals. And the front page of the word actually contained the words “Contes de ma mere l’Oye or “tales of Mother Goose”. But this book did not contain any of the rhymes that we associate with Mother Goose today, in fact it was illustrated with an old witch-like woman spinning and telling stories.
1729 – It was in this year that the tales were actually translated into English. Robert Samber translated Perrault’s tales into English and published them that same year calling them Mother Goose’s Tales.
1744 – This is the year that the earliest published book of Nursery rhymes is known from. It was in this year that Tommy Thumb’s Song Book was published in London by Mary Cooper.
1744 – Also in this year John Newberry, who was a bookseller and publisher, set up his business in a St. Paul’s churchyard. It was here that he published his first children’s book which was dedicated to the “Parents, Guardians and Nurses in Great Britain and Ireland. This book was called The Little Pretty Pocket Book and was an instant hit. It was then that Newberry realized he could make a profit in publishing children’s literature so he continued to do what he did best and that brought Children’s literature up to one of the most important branches of the publishing business.
1766 – Newberry published his most popular book Little Goody Two Shoes
1780 – The stepson of Newberry took over Newberry’s business after Newberry’s death. It was he who entered the title Mother Goose’s Melody at the London Stationer’s Hall. This title was used to describe a variety of English nonsense songs and rhymes. The book contained fifty-two rhymes each with its own illustration. It also contained sixteen versus from Shakespeare.
1786 – Isaiah Thomas published the first authorized American version of Mother Goose’s Melody.
1860 – There became a difference of opinion about who created Mother Goose. It was in this year that it was claimed that a collection of Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes was actually published in Boston by Thomas Fleet in 1719. It is claimed that he used his wife’s name, who was Elizabeth Goose, to coin the term Mother Goose. But there is actually no evidence to support this theory, although it has been researched.
1878 – Moother Goose in White was published
1879 – The Old Fashioned Mother Goose Melodies were published
1916 – Rand McNally & Company republished the collection of Mother Goose Rhymes as The Real Mother Goose
1928 – Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes arranged by Logan Marshall was published
1958 – The Space Child’s Mother Goose by Fredick Winsor was published in New York
