Hi Rich23,
Thank you for your interesting question.
There are many variants of the rhyme "London Bridge Is Broken Down"
and the game associated with it, but they all agree the bridge
collapsed and attempts to mend it with different materials failed.
Some theorise that it refers to the destruction of London bridge in
the eleventh century by King Olaf and his Norsemen.
From "The London Bridge Museum & Education Trust" website:
"In 1014, when the Danes held London, the Saxons, under King Ethelred
The Unready, were joined by a band of Vikings from Norway led by their
King Olaf. Together they sailed up the Thames to attack the Bridge and
divide the Danes.
But the Danes stood on the bridge hurling spears down on the open
ships. Olaf and his men protected their ships with the thatched roofs
pulled from local cottages.
They rowed up under the Bridge, put their cables around the piles
which supported the Bridge, and rowed off, pulling the bridge down,
hence the song "London Bridge is Falling/Broken Down".
Two other timber bridges followed, one being swept away entirely in a
storm in 1091. A third was built in 1163. The man who built it, a
priest named Peter de Colechurch, vowed that his next bridge would be
of stone."
http://www.oldlondonbridge.com/saxonnorman.shtml
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You may also find these links interesting:
Origins of Nursery Rhymes
http://www.sca.org.au/bacchus_wood/origins_of_nursery_rhymes.html
London Taxi Tour - London Bridge
http://www.londontaxitour.com/london-taxi-tour-sights-attractions-london-bridge.htm
All Info About Nursery Rhymes - London Bridge
http://nurseryrhymes.allinfoabout.com/london_bridge.html
King Olaf - "The Sixth Battle"
http://216.239.51.104/search?q=cache:cCznACptxsoJ:www.northvegr.org/lore/heim/007_02.html+%22london+bridge%22+%22king+olaf%22&hl=en&ie=UTF-8
Human Sacrifice in Legends and Myths - London Bridge
http://www.stavacademy.co.uk/mimir/humansacrifice.htm#london
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I hope you find this information useful!
regards,
Jackburton
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Search terms used on Google:
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