Mnemonic verses of monarchs in England

A mnemonic verse listing the monarchs ruling in England since William the Conqueror was traditionally used by British schoolchildren in the era when rote learning formed a major part of the curriculum.

The verse

Various versions of the verse exist. One version is:[1]

Willie Willie Harry Stee
Harry Dick John Harry three;
One two three Neds, Richard two
Harrys four five six... then who?
Edwards four five, Dick the bad,
Harrys (twain),VII VIII Ned six (the lad);
Mary, Bessie, James you ken,
Then Charlie, Charlie, James again...
Will and Mary, Anna Gloria,
Georges four,I II III IV Will four Victoria;
Edward seven next, and then
Came George the fifth in nineteen ten;
Ned the eighth soon abdicated
Then George six was coronated;
After which Elizabeth
And that's all folks until her death.

The list omits several disputed monarchs including Empress Matilda, Henry the Young King, and Lady Jane Grey, and does not mention the Commonwealth of England.

Published versions

Alan Bennett quotes and adapts the verse in his 1968 play Forty Years On. The scene with the verse is set during the Second World War, before the accession of Elizabeth II, and Bennett's version stops at Victoria.[2]

The 1991 film King Ralph includes a brief section of the verse.

The Monarchs' Song from the TV series Horrible Histories lists the monarchs of England and has some phrases in common with the traditional verse.[3]

Mnemonic for royal houses

A different mnemonic is used to remember the sequence of English and British royal houses or dynasties.

No Plan Like Yours To Study History Wisely[4]

The initial letters of which give the royal houses:

Norman, Plantagenet, Lancaster, York, Tudor, Stuart, Hanover, Windsor

This list of royal houses differs from the views of many historians. For example, Lancaster and York are considered cadet branches of the House of Plantagenet, and the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha was renamed as Windsor in 1917.

See also

References
  1. "Monarchs of Britain". Britannia. Archived from the original on 18 January 2019.
  2. Bennett, Alan (4 September 2008). Alan Bennett Plays 1: Forty Years On, Getting On, Habeas Corpus and Enjoy. Faber & Faber. pp. 32–33. ISBN 978-0-571-24686-1. The play was first produced in 1968.
  3. "Horrible Histories Songs". BBC. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
  4. Pauk, Walter; Owens, Ross J. Q. (2013). How to Study in College. Cengage. p. 246. ISBN 9781285632889.
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