Terry Foreman on 14 Jan 2017  •  Link

Christ's Hospital of Abingdon is a charity with a long history, based in Abingdon, England. Christ's Hospital was established in 1553 by royal charter under the full name of the Master and Governors of the Hospital of Christ of Abingdon. Sir John Mason, an Elizabethan diplomat, served as the first Master from 1553 to 1566. The charity supported almshouses in Abingdon. The charity has been involved with education, educating Abingdon boys from 1608 until 1870. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chr…'s_Hospital_of_Abingdon

San Diego Sarah on 5 Oct 2024  •  Link

"The Tragical Death of an Apple Pie" is an alphabet rhyme first published in 1671.

The Bryn Mawr College's copy of 'The Tragical Death' is part of the Ellery Yale Wood Collection of Books for Young Readers. It has been digitized and is available on the Internet Archive at
https://specialcollections.blogs.…

“A is for Apple. B is for Ball,” we say these days. But for 200 years, English children learning the alphabet grappled instead with apple pie, greed, and interpersonal conflict.

No one knows when the first ABC poem meant for the youngest readers was created, but 'Apple Pie' was current in England in the 17th century.

Abusing preachers stretch their sermons by elaborating on each letter in a word (REPENT – Readily Earnestly, Presently, Effectually…) John Eachard, satirist and doctor of divinity, reported on this in a humorous criticism of sermons in the Church in 1671. He says, “And also why not A Apple-pasty, B bak’d it, C cut it, D divided it, E eat it, F fought for it, G got it, &c.?”

The poem next appears in print in 1743, when it was included in 'The Child’s New Play-thing', a spelling book that began with several alphabets and ABC poems. It was printed frequently after that in the frenzy of the new market for children’s books.

Many of those “books” were the tiny publications called chapbooks – a single sheet of paper printed on both sides, and folded to make a little 16-page pamphlet smaller than the palm of your hand.

Bryn Mawr College's 'Apple Pye' is one of these, roughly 3-1/2 inches tall and 2-1/4 inches wide. It was published around 1800 and the miniature might not have survived, except that it was bound with 14 other chapbooks around the 1810s. ...

John Evans, the printer/publisher, then inserted an advertisement for his other books for “little readers,” complete with his shop address.
Evans still had 3 small pages to fill, so he added a woodcut of the imaginary old woman who made the pie in the poem, and stated she would supply a similar treat to good children.
Since good people always pray before meals, he included a grace for the children to learn – to demonstrate that they deserved a pie.
On the final page, he printed a postprandial grace and the Lord’s Prayer.

San Diego Sarah on 5 Oct 2024  •  Link

CONCLUSION:

The Tragical Death of a Apple-Pye, Who Was Cut in Pieces and Eat by Twenty Five Gentlemen: With Whom All Little People Ought to Be Very Well Acquainted. London: Printed by John Evans, 42, Long-lane, West-smithfield, c.1800:

A Apple Py
B Bit it
C Cut it
D Dealt it
E Eat it
F Fought for it
G Got it
H Had it
I/J Join’d for it [THEY STILL HADN'T DECIDED THESE WERE A VOWEL AND CONSONANT]
K Kept it
L Longed for it
M Mourn’d for it
N Nodded at it
O Open’d it
P Peep’d in it
Q Quarter’d it
R Run for it
S Stole it
T Took it
U/V View’d it [AGAIN, NO VOWEL/CONSONANT DEFINITION]
W Wanted it
X, Y, Z, and &, they all wilh’d for a piece in hand. [WITHHELD? IDEAS?]

At last they every ore agreed.
Upon the Apple Pye to feed;
But as there seem’d fo be so many,
These who were last might not have any.
Unless some method there were taken.
That every one might have their bacon,
They all agreed to stand in order
Round the Apple Pye’s £1 border;
Take turn as they in hornbook [ORDER] stand,
Fiom great A, down to &,
For equal parts the pye divide,
As you may see on t’other side.

You can see the original and woodcuts at
https://search.yahoo.com/search?f…