LITTLE MISS MUFFET
Original rhyme

Little Miss Muffet, sat on a tuffet,
Eating of curds and whey;
Along came a spider and sat down beside her
And frightened Miss Muffet away.

Please note: Legends are historical stories within the category of folklore in which the "facts" are not verified. Some might be true, other facts might not. 

 

It is claimed by some that Dr. Thomas Muffet, an (physician and entomolgist) born in the late 16th century wrote it for his stepdaughter.  Another legend is that it refers to

Mary Queen of Scots and the spider frightening her was a religious reformer by the name of John Knox.

The rhyme was published in 1805 in a book called Songs for the Nursery.