Beneath the surface of this simple garden plot is a rhyme overgrown with religious symbolism. One interpretation claims it describes the Church of the Virgin Mary — the pretty maids are nuns lined up in pews. A more racy interpretation says our contrary miss is Mary, Queen of Scots, the Catholic monarch whose loose lifestyle angered her straight-laced Protestant ministers. The pretty maids are ladies-in-waiting. And the cockle-shells? Would you believe decorations on a party dress given to her by a secret lover? People loved to dig up dirt on Mary.

On August 1, 1998, Lee Brotherton wrote:

I found your Mary Mary versions interesting, but it isn't the one that I've heard that has been handed down for generations. It is a protestant condemnation of Mary Queen of Scots, but not of her lifestyle. Protestants could not speak openly against the Queen without retribution so they spoke in more or less a code to wit:

Mary Mary quite contrary
(Mary is a disagreeable Catholic tyrant)

How does your garden grow?
(the garden referred to is filled with the graves of protestant martyrs/opponents of the Queen and the growing number of such victims under her oppressive rule)

With silver bells and cockle shells
(instruments of torture such as thumbscrews and iron masks)

and pretty maids all in a row
(instruments like the guillotine known as maids to behead enemies)

This is the interpretation I’ve always heard as handed down through the centuries in my family. Certainly a more visceral version than those you display. Given the intensity of feeling against the Queen by protestants of the day (and though difficult to understand for some she is despised to this day much as the memory of Cromwell is ghastly to the majority in Ireland).

So there you have it. Hope it is of interest.

On July 1, 1999, Nora Casserly wrote:

Concerning the interpretations of this rhyme, if Lee Brotherton’s interpretation is correct, would not the Mary in this rhyme be Mary Tudor, alias “Bloody Mary” who during her short reign, before Elizabeth the 1st, ruthlessly burned and tortured Protestants in order to serve God and to endear herself to the Roman Catholic Pope?

I know that Mary Stuart was quite a scandalous gal, killing off husbands and personally fighting in wars, but if we speak about the murder of Protestants, I think this rhyme belongs to Mary Tudor. Your interpretation would be more in line with Mary Queen of Scotts in my opinion.

On September 21, 1999, John Goldsmith wrote:

Has anybody ever suggested that the “cockleshells” could refer to the pilgrims who took the road to the shrine of St James at Compostella in N. Spain? They wore shells to identify themselves as pilgrims. Hence the (delicious) French dish Coquilles St Jacques. Just a thought. Your piece on the rhyme most interesting. Thank you.

On May 12, 2000, Roland Wiebe wrote:

9th,10th,11th cents. artistic and intellectual culture flurished in S. France while the rest of Europe remained relitivly primitive largly to an anticleric sectarian group who venerated Mary, Bride of Christ. The Magdaline. Mary, contrary to the Mother Church spoke of the kingdom of God on Earth. The last two lines of the poem give me the image of a warrior returning to his dreams.

On June 27, 2000, Ron Graham wrote:

I just found yer site by accident. I have been searching for 3 years to find out which of the 4MARYS of Mary Queen of Scots married a Graham. It was not Mary Seton, because she never married.

The Earl of Oxford got one of the 4MARYS pregnant, and was pardoned by QEliz who mebbe wanted to marry him, but couldn't stand sharing her power, but wanted his Royal heritage around her. Which of the 4MARYS did he impregnate?

Finally, which of the 4MARYS married a GRAHAM? Possibly it was Mary Livingston because her ancestors going back to 1298 lived in FALKIRK, and were friends of Sir JOHN DE GRAEME, who was a Knight and fought with Wallace in the Battle of Falkirk in 1298, assisted, I presume, by the spirit of Mel Gibson.

Any help you or anyone you know can give me on this matter will be appreciated.

On June 28, 2000, Lynda F wrote:

Hi - just wanted to drop you a note about your site. Great work — although I wonder if you will be adding any more. One in particular that I can think of is goosey goosey gander — I was always lead to believe that this was in reference to the royalists being persecuted in the time of the Engish civil war by Cromwell and the roundheads. In particular the part — “there I met an old man who would not say his prayers — so I took him by his left let and threw him down the stairs.”

Great work once again — and I have to agree with the Mary Mary people who say that Mary Tudor — aka Bloody Mary or Mary the first of England was the Catholic Monarch who was responsible for the death of many protestants. Mary Queen of Scots was more well known for her romantic misadventures and for being held captive for many many years by Elizabeth the first.

On May 13, 2001, Kay Ross wrote:

I remember visiting Hampton Court Palace in London many years ago. There we were shown Queen Mary’s rooms (contrary Mary — mixed marriage). Her rooms overlooked her garden with ancient and magnificent clipped yew trees. The silver bells were the shapes of the doorknobs, the cockle shells the decorations around the door plates. As for the pretty maids all in a row — there they were, hanging on the wall — beautiful portraits of her maids. Seemed to have it all in one! I think that's the genuine background.

Best wishes — found your site by accident, Kay Ross

On July 13, 2001, David M Turrey wrote:

My wife and I enjoy searching for and often stumbling upon some of the greatest and most evasive knowledge NOT known to be out there. When we came upon your site we were actually in an argument about “Ring Around The Rosie” and what the rosies were for (I won!). Anyways, my wife and I have heard varying explanations for different parts of this rhyme and we thought you'd like to share them.

Mary, Mary, quite contrary...is obviously Mary, Queen of Scots, as is shared amongst others was of controversial character for her day.

How does your garden grow?...Instead of an actual question needing a response, it could be used as in “My! How does your garden grow” later dropping the exclamatory “My!”.

With silver bells and cockle shells and pretty maids all in a row...All refer to very practical applications. Living in an agricultural area, it is common to see silver streamers of noise makers hung on trees to frighten ravaging birds or animals away. Also, my wife and I have heard that ground cockle shells used to be used as a fertilizer, and pretty maids all in a row were simply her helping hands.

Great site, thanks a bunch.

For those who have never fought for it,...they will never know the true price of freedom.
— Unanimous (Found on a C-Ration can in Vietnam)

On April 8, 2002, Peggy McWood wrote:

Hi!

I really enjoyed your site about rhymes. Here is my theory about Mary, Mary and the Significance of Silver Bells and Cockleshells

The child’s rhyme, “Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary” is widely recognized to have been a political poem about Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots. There has been some uncertainty as to the reference to “Silver Bells and Cockleshells.” Some have theorized that these refer to a dress given to her by her first husband, Francis II, King of France.

To fully understand this rhyme, one has to take into consideration the great influence France and her French relatives had on Mary Queen of Scots. Mary was sent to the French court as a child, when she was betrothed to the dauphin, Francis. Her mother, Mary of Guise, acted as regent of Scotland. The politics of Scotland were often orchestrated in France. When her relatives in France directed Mary of Guise to persecute the Scottish Protestants in 1559, it caused a rebellion which ended when she died in 1560.

Mary Stuart’s first husband, Francis II King of France, has been described as both mentally and physically weak. It was Mary Stuart’s Guise uncles who effectively ruled France during his reign. After Francis’s death, her Guise uncles joined in a triumvirate, which, at the head of the Catholic Party, opposed tolerance of the Huguenot Protestants and led to the Wars of Religion. Mary Stuart’s cousin, Henri de Lorraine, third duc de Guise, assisted in planning the Saint Bartholomew’s Day Massacre. He later formed the Catholic League, and became so politically powerful that King Henry III felt threatened, and had him, and his brother the cardinal of Lorraine, assassinated on December 22, 1588 at the Chateau de Blois.

The Chateau de Blois is a lovely castle on the Loire, and was often visited by French royalty, including Mary Queen of Scots. Her portrait, done when she was a child, hangs there to this day. The Chateau has been frequently associated with the wars of religion. Most symbolically, one of the Blois family crests contains a series of bells. Another family crest depicts cockleshells, and the palace itself is decorated with scallop shells.

My interpretation of the rhyme is:

“Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary”
(She was very controversial, being more culturally French than Scot, and her first language was French. She was a devote Catholic, from a very devoted and powerful family. This did not endear her to many of her subjects in Knox’s Scotland.)

“How does your garden grow?”
(Who influences how you rule Scotland?)

“With silver bells and cockleshells”
She was heavily influenced by her Guise relations, who were responsible for repressing Protestantism and massacres of Huguenots in France. These actions of her Guise relatives must have been very worrisome to the Scottish Protestants.

“And pretty maids all in a row.”
Mary’s court was renowned for the beautiful women. Interestingly, one of the “Four Marys” who went with her to France as a child and stayed with her court, went to a convent in France at the end of her life - which just happened to be run by one of Mary’s Stuart’s Guise aunts.

On February 8, 2005, Sarah Q wrote:

I don’t know where exactly I heard this, but have taken it to be true until my friend recently challenged it when working on a school play. I had always thought that:

Mary Mary Quite contrary was Queen Mary

How does your garden grow - an inference to her inability to conceive

With Silver Bells and Cockle shells - unsure (!)

And Pretty maids all in a row - concerning the number of miscarriages she had

I was told that it was a rhyme which mocked Mary, used by her many enemies and later turned in to a harmless nursery rhyme. However, after thinking about it and seeing all of the information contrary to my belief I have been forced to reconsider. I still think that I prefer the interpretation above although the one regarding the protestants she killed appears more logical, coherent and truthful. For the purpose of our play the rhyme suits my interpretation of it!

It was interesting to read all the comments posted on the site. I am sorry to say that I don’t quite buy the idea that it was about her lifestyle or suchlike. In fact, I think that the only plausible ideas were that of mine and the protestant-killing versions. The others seem slightly far fetched!

On March 23, 2006, 04cwatts wrote:

I was on your nursery rhymes website, and saw the ‘Mary, Mary’ rhyme. My history teacher told us what he knew it to mean -

Mary, Mary quite contrary
(Mary I changed the religion again)
How does your garden grow?
(The womb is the womans garden, and Mary could not ‘grow’ any babies)
With silver bells
(Many people thought that Mary I was a ‘saddo’ for ringing bells)
And cockle shells
(cockling was the polite term for someone having an affair, as Mary’s husband was thought to)
And pretty maids all in a row
(Mary had many miscarriages and stillbirths, the ‘maids’ were their gravestones)

Thanks
C

On June 24, 2006, Kaye wrote:

Re: posting on March 23, 2006, 04cwatts...

The ‘pretty maids’ can’t be the tombstones of Mary's stillborn children, as there were no stillbirths; she had 2 mistaken pregancies, which may or may not have been ovarian cancer: the ladies of her chamber stated that, apart from the swelling of her belly, she had no other signs of pregnancy.

With regard to other lines; a queen’s garden could be the court or her country; the silver bells and cockle shells could be reference to the likes of pilgrim tokens - or as has also been suggested, torture instruments (not so sure about this myself). Could the pretty maids be something like statuary (Madonnas, saints etc?).

These are suppositions on my behalf; but those pretty maids aren't tombstones of lost children.

Kaye
Edinburgh

On October 12, 2006, Kaoru Powell wrote:

I just thought I might let you know that Mary, Queen of Scots didn’t actually reign in England. The Mary talked about in this rhyme would have to be Mary I / Mary Tudor. Mary I was a devout catholic and after her brother’s protestant reign she came to the crown and tried to squash the reformation. Her execution of hundreds of protestants earned her the nickname “Bloody Mary”. It might help others out if you put the correct information up. I enjoyed your site a lot by the way.

On December 24, 2006, Jeanne Hill wrote:

Your site is awesome. I love it. Is this where I can add my comments to your rhymes area?

My comment is that from what I have read, most of the queens were very brutal women! All of the comments have been very interesting. My understanding has always been that the Mary was Mary Tudor alias Bloody Mary for her killing of protestants. I understood the meaning to be what Lee said with the one correctection from Nora. My understanding from what I've read is that “Bloody Mary” was very Contrary meaning perverse; stubbornly opposed or willful, as she proved to be so that fits closely. Some of the “nicer” interpretations don't fit the reason they wrote in rhymes ... as a protection from being executed. They had to be saying something very negative and powerful to hide what they were saying. Unfortunately, I believe that the Iron Maidens are to what they were refering. We won't really know for sure but I believe that fits the closest.