Humpty Dumpty

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall,
All the king's horses and all the king's men,
Couldn't put Humpty together again.
 

This rhyme dates from 1797

Its meaning has been the subject of much debate around the following options:

1. That it may refer to Richard III's defeat at Bosworth Field

2. That Humpty Dumpty may have been the name of a canon used during the English Civil War to defend the city of Colchester from the Parliamentarian army. When the Parliamentary army destroyed the wall the canon fell to the ground and the city fell.