Ride a cock horse to Banbury Cross

Ride a cock horse to Banbury Cross is a nursery rhyme connected with the English town Banbury. The cross of the title was destroyed by Puritans in 1602 but was replaced in 1858. An unproven legend holds that the "fine lady" was Lady Godiva. Another suggestion links her with the wealthy Fiennes (pronounced 'fines') family that had married into the Saye family of nearby Broughton Castle; the lady may have arrived in Banbury by stagecoach and completed the 3-mile journey to the castle on one of the castle's superior horses. The "cock horse" is usually identified as a hobby-horse ? of course it may have been a stallion.

Related Topics:
Nursery rhyme - English - Banbury - Puritans - 1602 - 1858 - Godiva - Broughton Castle - Hobby-horse

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