This one may be about Bloody Mary, daughter of King Henry VIII and concerns the torture and murder of Protestants. Queen Mary was a staunch Catholic and her "garden" here is an allusion to the graveyards which were filling with Protestant martyrs. The "silver bells" were thumbscrews; while "cockleshells" are believed to be instruments of torture which were attached to male genitals. Ouch!
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Nursery rhymes and their dark side
PoetryUnknowingly when we sing these nursery rhymes we engage our children with centuries-old tradition that seems harmless. Courtesy of The express Tribune
