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The Grand Old Duke of York is a children's nursery rhyme, which, in its most common version, is: Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... A nursery rhyme is a traditional song or poem taught to young children, originally in the nursery. ...

The grand old Duke of York,
He had ten thousand men.
He marched them up to the top of the hill
And he marched them down again.

And when they were up, they were up;
And when they were down, they were down.
But when they were only halfway up,
They were neither up nor down!

Frequently, the audience is asked to "act out" the rhyme by standing up, sitting down, and standing halfway up at the appropriate points in the verse.

Origins

The nursery rhyme is usually said to be based upon the events of the brief invasion of Flanders by Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany (1763-1827), the second son of King George III and Commander-in-Chief of the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars. In 1793, a painstakingly-prepared attack on the northern conquests of the French Republic was led by the Duke himself. He won a small cavalry victory at Beaumont (April 1794) only to be heavily defeated at Tourcoing in May and recalled to England. For other uses, see Flanders (disambiguation). ... The Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany (Frederick Augustus) (16 August 1763 - 5 January 1827) was a member of the British Royal Family, the second eldest child, and second son, of King George III. From 1820 until his death in 1827, he was the heir presumptive to his elder... 1763 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Year 1827 (MDCCCXXVII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... George III redirects here. ... Commander-in-Chief (in NATO-lingo often C-in-C or CINC pronounced sink) is the commander of all the military forces within a particular region or of all the military forces of a state. ... The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ... Combatants Austria[a] Portugal Prussia[a] Russia[b] Sicily[c] Sardinia  Spain[d]  Sweden[e] United Kingdom French Empire Holland[f] Italy Etruria[g] Naples[h] Duchy of Warsaw[i] Confederation of the Rhine[j] Bavaria Saxony Westphalia Württemberg Denmark-Norway[k] Commanders Archduke Charles Prince Schwarzenberg Karl Mack... // Beaumont can refer to: Places In Australia Beaumont, South Australia, a suburb of Adelaide In Belgium Beaumont, Belgium, in the province of Hainaut In Canada Beaumont, Alberta, Canada In France Beaumont, Ardèche, in the Ardèche département Beaumont, Corrèze, in the Corrèze département Beaumont, Gers... Combatants France Great Britain Austria Commanders Jean Victor Marie Moreau Joseph Souham Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany Prince Josias of Coburg Strength 70,000 74,000 Casualties 3,000 men 6 guns 5,500 men 60 guns The Battle of Tourcoing was fought near the town of Tourcoing...

The specific location of the "hill" in the nursery rhyme has long been presumed to be the town of Cassel which is built on a hill which rises 176 metres (about 570 feet) above the otherwise flat lands of Flanders in northern France. Cassel is a town in the Nord France. ... For other uses, see Flanders (disambiguation). ...

For an alternative derivation, much-believed in Yorkshire, see Allerton Castle. Allerton Castle is a Grade I listed nineteenth century Gothic house in North Yorkshire, England. ...

Another alternative derivation is that the Hill is in the Suffolk town of Ipswich, which was a former shipbuilding town; on this hill (Woodbridge Road) there is a pub of this name. Suffolk (pronounced ) is a large historic and modern non-metropolitan county in East Anglia, England. ... For other uses, see Ipswich (disambiguation). ...

The 'Grand Old Duke' was appointed Field Marshal in 1795 and Commander-in-Chief of the Forces in 1798. Despite a disastrous attack on the Dutch island of Walcheren (1799) and allegations in 1809 that his mistress Mary Anne Clarke used her influence to buy officer commissions, the Duke returned to his command in 1811 and played a great part as a backscene administrator in organising the Duke of Wellington's victories in the Peninsular War. He became heir presumptive to the throne in 1820, but predeceased his elder brother King George IV in 1827. Note: This article is about the military usage of the word marshal. For other usages, see the end of this article. ... The Commander-in-Chief of the Forces, or just the Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C), was the professional head of the British Army from 1672 until 1904, when the office was replaced by the Chief of the General Staff, soon to become Chief of the Imperial General Staff. ... Satellite image of the Scheldt estuary Walcheren is a former island in the province of Zeeland in the Netherlands at the mouth of the Scheldt estuary. ... Mary Anne Clarke (1776–1852) was the mistress of Frederick, Duke of York. ... Italic text His Grace Field Marshal the Most Noble Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS (c. ... For the 1862 American Civil War campaign, see Peninsula Campaign. ... An Heir Presumptive (capitalised) is the person provisionally scheduled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honor, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an Heir Apparent or of a new Heir Presumptive with a better claim to the throne. ... George IV (George Augustus Frederick) (12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was king of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Hanover from 29 January 1820 until his death. ...

However, an alternative derivation is that the rhyme relates the story of Richard, Duke of York at the Battle of Wakefield on 30 December 1460 (the same Richard who is the subject of the mnemonic "Richard of York gave battle in vain" for the colors of the rainbow). Richard's army, some 8,000 strong, was awaiting reinforcements at "the top of the hill" at Sandal Castle in Wakefield (the castle was built on top of a Norman motte). He was surrounded by Lancastrian forces some three times that number, but nonetheless chose to sally forth ("...marched them down again") to fight. Richard died in a pitched battle at Wakefield Green, together with between one third and one half of his army; several other Yorkist nobles were killed, and others were captured and later executed (including Richard's son, Edmund, Earl of Rutland and Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury). The severed heads of the dead nobles were displayed in public in York. This article is about Richard, Duke of York, father of King Edward IV. For the article about Edward IVs son who was imprisoned in the Tower of London see: Richard, Duke of York (Prince in the Tower). ... The Battle of Wakefield took place at Wakefield, in West Yorkshire, on December 30, 1460, and was one of the major actions of the Wars of the Roses. ... is the 364th day of the year (365th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events The first Portuguese navigators reach the coast of modern Sierra Leone. ... For other uses, see Mnemonic (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Rainbow (disambiguation). ... Sandal Castle is a ruin near the town of Wakefield in West Yorkshire and overlooks the River Calder and Pugneys Country Park. ... For other uses, see Wakefield (disambiguation). ... The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the nave is a forerunner of the Gothic style. ... A motte-and-bailey is a form of castle. ... Lancastrian is an adjective describing: A resident of one of the many places named Lancaster. ... The House of York was a dynasty of English kings. ... Edmund, Earl of Rutland (May 17, 1443 – December 31, 1460) was the fourth child and second surviving son of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York and Cecily Neville. ... Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury, KG , PC (1400 – December 31, 1460) was a Yorkist leader during the early parts of the Wars of the Roses. ... York shown within England Coordinates: , Sovereign state Constituent country Region Yorkshire and the Humber Ceremonial county North Yorkshire Admin HQ York City Centre Founded 71 City Status 71 Government  - Type Unitary Authority, City  - Governing body City of York Council  - Leadership: Leader & Executive  - Executive: Liberal Democrat  - MPs: Hugh Bayley (L) John...

More authoritative sources, such as Opie's Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes and Robert's Heavy Words Thrown Lightly, reveal several earlier versions of this rhyme. These described the military incompetence of leaders of other battles. One of the earliest known versions, for example, described the King of France leading 40,000 men. According to Opie and Robert, this rhyme had very little to do with any Duke of York, but was used instead more like children at school singing "Mary and David up in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G", swapping the names to fit whoever they wanted to torment that day.

Song

The Grand Old Duke of York is also sung to the tune of A—Hunting We Will Go.^[1] It is used as an action song within many Scouting organizations. The song is repeated with the actions, getting faster each time. This article is about the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts/Girl Guides organizations. ...

References

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