The Dark History of the Nursery Rhyme "Do You Know the Muffin Man?"
Hidden Warnings
The sing-song rhyme “Do You Know the Muffin Man” first appeared on the scene in 1820 in Merry Old England. In time, it would evolve into a children’s game that may very well have been rooted in the atrocities committed by a suspected serial killer.
The set up traditionally involves several youngsters standing side-by-side in a group. Play begins when whoever is chosen to go first inquires if the friend to their left knows the muffin man who lives on Drury Lane. After replying in the affirmative, they and their kindred spirit join hands and gleefully belt out that they both know the muffin man.
The action is then repeated until everyone has had a turn. Things come full circle when they sing in unison that they know the muffin man who lives on Drury Lane. With everything tied up in a tidy bow, the game ends and the participants move on to other activities, never realizing that the rhyme was initially intended to warn them to steer clear of nefarious characters who might mean them harm, in this case, the muffin man.
Beware a Stranger Bearing Gifts
In the latter part of the 1500s, long before the song made its debut, Drury Lane was a seedy area of London where few things were off limits. In those days, the locale was rife with gambling, prostitution, and any number of other questionable pastimes that were generally looked upon by authorities with blind eyes. It was also a place where people came up missing from time to time, more than a few of them children.
Despite its reputation for depravity, the area was home to a multitude of families, most of which lived in abject poverty. Forced to survive on shoestring budgets, many relied on street vendors for their daily sustenance. Some of the most popular of these providers were men who came around daily selling muffins and other baked goods on the cheap. While not ideal, the treats were rich and filling, which desperate parents found preferable to watching their children go hungry.
One such muffin man was a local baker named Frederic Thomas Linwood. A master at his craft, he had amassed a loyal following over the years, thanks to his quality products and surprisingly affordable prices. Although there was no proof to back up the claims, tongues wagged that creating tasty fare wasn’t the only thing that gave this particular vendor his jollies.
Over a nine-year period, it was rumored that the mild-mannered baker was responsible for the disappearances of at least fifteen children. According to the local rumor mill, he earned his victims’ trust by plying them with free muffins. When he was sure that they would go with him without putting up a fight, he would make his move. This usually involved taking them to a back alley where no one would see or hear what happened next.
When several of Linwood’s chief competitors mysteriously came up missing, many believed that they had met their fate at his hands. If this was true, he was remarkably adept at hiding the evidence of his misdeeds, since nothing was ever found that tied him to the vanishings.
Owing to the amount of speculation that whirled around Linwood, some historians will tell you that his infamy is nothing more than an urban legend that took hold and refused to let go. While that may very well be, there are still others who are convinced that the mad baker, known as the “Drury Lane Dicer,” was a real threat who terrorized the community in the 16th century.
Skeptics hold firm to their belief that Linwood — and the unspeakable acts attributed to him — are nothing more than made up nonsense with no basis in reality. Their position is supported by the fact that there is no record of anyone by that name ever having been charged with the crimes he supposedly committed. Since everyone in the vicinity of Drury Lane would have known exactly where to find him, it seems unlikely that he would have been allowed to continue his murderous ways without someone stepping in to put a stop to his reign of terror.
On the flipside, those who argue that he was not only a real person, but also an unrepentant killer, are quick to point out that not all wrongdoers pay for their actions — after all, suspecting that someone is up to no good and proving it are two entirely different things. Since he was purportedly a highly intelligent, meticulous individual, it isn’t beyond the realm of possibility that he was able to cover his tracks just enough to stay one step ahead of the law.
Supporters of this theory were the first to put forth the notion that the song was probably a roundabout way for parents to caution their children to be mindful of their surroundings. With this deeper meaning in mind, it’s believed that encouraging children to question each other about their familiarity with the muffin man was code for “Steer clear of the creepy guy on Drury Lane.”
Though no one can say for certain if the lyrics harken back to those dark times, the possibility has not completely been ruled out. While the rhyme could be exactly what it seems — a cheerful ditty that holds no secret meaning — there will always be some who suspect that there is more to the story.
Those who know all too well what Frederic Thomas Linwood — and others like him — are capable of, believe that the nursery rhyme was originally intended to inform youngsters that evil sometimes wears a disguise. The way they see it, the lesson was a simple one: better to know the wolf in sheep’s clothing than to fall for his ruse and be caught unprepared when all pretense is dropped, and his true nature revealed.
Resources:
·museumoflondon.org.uk
·mylondonnews.com
·allthatsinteresting.com
·whitehartdrurylane.co.uk
·royalacademy.org.uk
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