A Was an Archer (Tom Thumb's Alphabet)

DESCRIPTION: "A was an archer who shot at a frog, B was a butcher and had a great dog, C was a Captain, all covered with lace, D was a drunkard, and had a red face," and so on to the end of the alphabet
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1844 (Halliwell); Opie/Opie-OxfordDictionaryOfNurseryRhymes reports that it occurs first in A Little Book for Little Children, published in the reign of Queen Anne (died 1714)
KEYWORDS: wordplay | alphabet
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (3 citations):
Opie/Opie-OxfordDictionaryOfNurseryRhymes 2, "A was an archer, who shot at a frog" (2 texts)
Dolby-OrangesAndLemons, pp. 19-20, "A Was an Archer" (1 text)
Baring-Gould-AnnotatedMotherGoose #612, p. 242, "(A Was an Archer)"
Roud #20563
NOTES [399 words]: The notes in the Baring-Goulds suggest that the reference to "King William" under "K" (in their version) is a reference to William the Conqueror. This, however, ignores the fact that the poem was first published in the reign of Queen Anne. The reference is, I strongly suspect, to William III, Anne's brother-in-law, who had died in 1702. After all, William the Conqueror had died in 1087 and his son William II Rufus in 1100; the poem can hardly be that old, and why refer all the way back to William the Conqueror when there were so many other kings to refer to? - RBW
This is the book that Halliwell cites:
Thomas White (as "T. W."), A little book for little children: wherein are set down, in a plain and pleasant way, directions for spelling, and other remarkable matters, Printed for G. C., 1702, p. 9. "The Alphabet" (1 text) (available on Google Books and at the British Library)
https://books.google.com/books?id=EjlWAAAAcAAJ&pg=PT1
http://access.bl.uk/item/viewer/ark:/81055/vdc%5f100023578166.0x000001#cv=11
THE ALPHABET.
A was an Archer, and shot at a Frog;
B was a Blind-man, and led by a Dog: [etc.]
Please note that this version does not mention "King William." The "K" entry is:
"K was a Knave, and he rob'd great and small."
[See also] Tom Thumb's play-book; to teach children their letters as soon as they can speak. Being a new and pleasant method to allure little ones in the first principles of learning., A Barclay, 1764, p. 6-17 (available at Evans Early American Imprint Collection, Digital Collections, University of Michigan Library)
http://name.umdl.umich.edu/N07984.0001.001
A was an Archer, and shot at a Frog.
B was a Butcher, and had a great Dog. [etc.]
[I posted the whole text here: https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=94925#4138536]
This version does not mention "King William" either. The "K" entry is:
"K was a King, and he govern'd a Mouse." - JD
I should add that the Opies also have King William in their text, but say that the version they print goes back only to around 1850. In which case King William might be King William IV (reigned 1830-1837). Which makes a peculiar kind of sense: in 1850, Victoria was queen, and William IV was the last king to be on the throne. So he was mentioned -- and became fixed in the rhyme because Victoria reigned for 64 years and there was no newer king to zip in until the rhyme was too established to change. - RBW
Last updated in version 6.6
File: OO2002

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