19 April 2024 , 18:07
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A house on the site said to be the inspiration for the Humpty Dumpty nursery rhyme has been put up for sale.
The rhyme may have been inspired when in 1530 statesman Cardinal Wolsey died after bumping his head boarding a royal barge on the waterway at the foot of the Cawood property’s garden.
Wolsey was being transported back to London after falling foul of former friend King Henry VIII.
Estate agents Carter Jonas said the house near York was "a hidden gem".
They said the Old Mill, a five-bedroom house built on the site of the much older mill, was situated at the start of the ’Wolsey Walk’.
The house, which is located above the banks of the River Ouse, is thought to date back to the 1800s and is on the market for £650,000.
Cawood was once the home of the Archbishop of York and the village has roots stretching back to the 10th Century.
Humpty Dumpty is often depicted as an anthropomorphic egg that falls off a wall and breaks, with all the King’s horses and men being unable to put him together again.
The character has featured in many books, songs and films over the years, including Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland sequel, Through the Looking Glass, and even the Shrek spin-off Puss in Boots.
Humpty appeared in Lewis Carroll’s creation
Back in 1842, the now defunct Punch magazine alluded to Humpty Dumpty being based on Wolsey, who was once Henry VIII’s chief adviser before being suspected of treason.
However, there have been many theories over the years around the true meaning behind the nursery rhyme, with none being confirmed.