Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1899-01-13
BANBuRY CROSS.
Origin Of the English Nursery Dog
gcrel.


what Grown person. asks the chicago
Chronicle. is there who at all remem-
bers his or her own experiences uH a
child IN the nursery but viii have recol-
loctions quickly refreshed at seeing this
line Of the old doggcrcl again. ride "a
cock horse 10 Iianbury crosse Why.
In New England. where IN the former
time Puritan literature was the intel
lectuni food OF all the people. there was
not nurse or mother that did not trot
her charge on her Knee 20 the music OF
that line and It's companion lines In the
verses NJ the homcly poem which II Ne
old or older than the reformation.
The place. Banbury. IN England. has
history that dates far back even to
the reformation. IN literature. too. II
has had frequent mention during the
last 200 or 400 years II ~ therefore as
disappointment To- be told that Ban
bury ~ mere country place In Eng
land which for centuries remained OF
no little commercial Importance. even
cfcditinR II with plenty ~ cheese and
tnrts OF ita own production. These. II
II true. are rtiil famous all over Eng
land. In recent years there Inns been
an accession of business there In the
manufacture Of agricultural implc-
menta. II " market and borough
tswn. situated ON the river Cherwcll.
slxty.nvc miles from London. II boasts
n lufEf fnNffn tnNt " NN lfNlthiiNN 81
~. pnul's cathedral.
Happily. Banbury cakes have sur
viyed. N IT. zeal and cheese are things
OF the past. Everybody knows the an
ecdotc ~ the bishop. the boy and the
Iianbury cake. The bishop 81 oxford,
n n said. was passing through the sta
tlon when he directed a boy ON the
platform to fetch him Hamburg cake
and gave him riNpence. adding. "iiuy
one for yourself with the change" The
hoy returned munchinR one of the
oblong pieces 81 pastry. and. handing
the bishop thrccpcnca explained that
there was only one cake In stock. There
IN n weak spot In the story-a Banbury
cake costs twopcncc.
The town boasts % n bcwildcrinR
number ~ Original" cake shops. one
In the High street seems 60 have the
strongest claim To the distinction. since
II bears the royal arms and declares
Itself 'purvcyor 10 her majesty. tho
queen" How many Hamburg cnkcr
does the illuntrioua lady consume per
nnnum. one wonderrl
The original Hamburg crusr was. un-
fortunately. destroyed by the ruritans
at the Reformation. A stcepic type ~
structure. something On the lines Of
the mnrtyrr' memorial 81 oxford. now
marks the place whore II stood The
fnc lady Of the nursery Jingle II nm
hluNlnu ~ tilf nhnli hi INC 'hlu WNfuhl
of Hnnbury" known also ne the witch
~ the white horse Like the cross. she
has long since disappeared. but her
memory II kept green blythe procession
In the town at royal jubliecn, occasions
~ rare occurrence, except IN recent
years under tho present happy reign.
n was tho building Of the present
ugly church which gave rise to the
rhyme -iinnhury seems specially rich
In doTTercl verse;
Dirty iianhury's proud people.
Butt n church without a Etecpir.
This was In old days. whom the town
was the center of the plush fnnnufac-
ture. and before the local paving and
lighting committee had nobly Invested
In stones from remote i.clccHtcrshirc To
mend the roads. which must have
needed II. for az the beginning of the
present century We are told that the
principal streets poHscnHed cart rut~
nine Inches dccp under ordinary cir
cumHtanUcr. and when the weather was
"a wee bit saft." aa the Scotch say.
floating masses Of mud covered the
whole surface.