Nigel Metcalfe explores the real meaning of some of our favourite nursery rhymes. They’re not always as innocent as you might think, with some referencing plagues, philandering, gluttony, executions, taxation, religious persecution, prostitution, and peep shows. These are not exactly the subjects you would expect to feature when you sing your favourite nursery rhymes to your children or grandchildren! Many of them date back hundreds of years, and this talk explores the theories and facts behind fifteen well-known nursery rhymes. In doing so, many dark stories are revealed. The talk is fully illustrated.