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It is one of the most popular nursery rhymes in this country though not many people know the true origins of Ring-a-ring of Roses. The rhyme was first sung during the Great Plague of 1665 and perfectly summed up the symptoms of this devastating disease. “Ring-a-ring of Roses, A pocketful of posies, Attischo, Attischo, We all fall down.” Now lets dissect this nursery rhyme line by…

The plague had been around in England for centuries though never had it hit London so hard than during the reign of the House of Stuart, 1665 to be precise. The summer of 1665 was an extremely hot one in England and while the population of London was increasing at a dramatic rate, people were living in squalor and the only way to get rid of rubbish was to throw it out on to the streets, both…