This week I must admit I was torn as to which one to choose, there are a couple of interesting ones left; black death, murder, another beheading or two… but as today is February 1st, and Valentine's Day will soon be upon us, what better way to get things going then with the oldest profession in the world… prostitution. Lucy Locket lost her pocket, Kitty Fisher found it, Not a penny was there in it, But a ribbon 'round it.
I grew up skipping along singing this sweet rhyme, which is sung to the tune of "Yankie Doodle", all the time thinking it's a song about 2 friends, Lucy and Kitty and how Lucy loses her purse or pocket and Kitty finds it and returns it… Um, not so much….
In 18tth century London, prostitution was rife and one of the most famous courtesans at the time was Catherine Maria "Kitty" Fisher. Originally a milliner, but after seeing how much more money she could make and how much more fun she could have making it, inside and outside the boudoir, Kitty decided to take matters into her own hands and made a career change. Aside from her more notable talents, Kitty was also known for her "clever and witty conversation" , and her lighthearted antics, including reportedly eating "a thousand-pound banknote on her bread and butter".
Lucy Locket had a regular customer also known as a "pocket" who obviously liked her services a little too much, as he quickly ran out of money and was dumped by Lucy.
He then turned his attention to Kitty and hence she "found the pocket" and since he was broke, there was not a penny in it. The ribbon refers to the custom among prostitutes to keep their bank notes tied to their thigh with a ribbon. Yet again, another children's classic that depicts the tawdry goings on in England and has been recited by countless children for a couple of hundred years :.
