But this isn’t the only theory about Humpty.
Several war historians say that Humpty Dumpty was not an egg, nor a man, but a canon!
When author Holly Bourne took to X (formerly Twitter) and began asking for further information, Jane Etheridge, Vice Chair of the Federation of Children’s Book Groups, responded: “It’s believed to be Roundhead propaganda about a Royalist cannon. [His] first appearance as an egg was in ‘Through the Looking Glass.’”
In the English Civil War (1642-1651), a large canon is believed to have been used and when Colchester was under siege, a canon from the attacking side managed to destroy the wall that ‘Humpty Dumpty’ was positioned on – consequently, Humpty Dumpty came tumbling down.
Due to its size, none of the king’s horses and none of the king’s men were able to put it back again.
While it seems there’s no one origin story for Humpty Dumpty, one thing for certain is that the character wasn’t always the egg we’ve always presumed him to be.
