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I had a little nut tree

This nursery rhyme featured in a book that I was given when I was expecting my second, son, Michael. I always like the words and was quite fascinated when I discovered its origins.

The nursery rhyme is believed to refer to a visit undertaken by the Royal House of Spain to King Henry VII’s court in 1506. Although King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain had two daughters, the reference to “the King of Spain’s daughter” in the nursery rhyme is believed to be to Katherine of Aragon who was betrothed at the time to Prince Arthur, the heir to the throne of England. Katherine’s and Arthur were married at the ages of sixteen and fifteen, respectively. The marriage only lasted six months before Arthur died. It was believed that the marriage was never consummated and it was annulled by the Catholic Church in 1509. Katherine, who was betrothed to King Henry VIII, married him in April 1509 and the marriage lasted many years. They had one daughter, Mary, who was born in 1516. The marriage of Henry and Katherine never produced a male heir which led to Henry eventually casting her aside in favour of Ann Boleyn, who was pregnant at the time. Henry’s divorce of Katherine and remarriage to Anne helped to bring about the English Reformation.

Painting of Katherine of Aragon by Michael Sittow

The words of I had a little nut tree are as follows:

“I had a little nut tree,
Nothing would it bear
But a silver nutmeg,
And a golden pear;
The King of Spain’s daughter
Came to visit me,
And all for the sake
Of my little nut tree.

Her dress was made of crimson,
Jet black was her hair,
She asked me for my nut tree
And my golden pear.
I said, “So fair a princess
Never did I see,
I’ll give you all the fruit
From my little nut tree.”

About Robbie Cheadle

South African author, photographer, and artist, Robbie Cheadle, has written and illustrated seventeen children’s books, illustrated a further three children’s books, written and illustrated four poetry books and written and illustrated one celebration of cake and fondant art book with recipes. Her work has also appeared in poetry and short story anthologies.

Robbie also has two novels and a collection of short stories published under the name of Roberta Eaton Cheadle and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.

You can find Robbie Cheadle’s artwork, fondant and cake artwork, and all her books on her website here: https://www.robbiecheadle.co.za/

Social Media Links

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/robbiecheadle.bsky.social
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVyFo_OJLPqFa9ZhHnCfHUA
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15584446.Robbie_Cheadle
TSL Publications: https://tslbooks.uk/product-tag/robbie-cheadle/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Robbie-Cheadle/author/B01N9J62GQ
Unsplash profile: https://unsplash.com/@r_cheadle