"Jack and Jill" is a traditional English nursery rhyme. The Roud Folk Song Index classifies the commonest tune and its variations as number 10266, although it has been set to several others. The original rhyme dates back to the 18th century and different numbers of verses were later added, each with variations in the wording. Throughout the 19th century new versions of the story were written featuring different incidents. A number of theories continue to be advanced to explain the rhyme's historical origin.
A postcard of the rhyme using Dorothy M. Wheeler's 1916 illustration Playⓘ
An advertising card based on Kate Greenaway's 1881 illustration of the rhyme
The plaque erected in 2000 at Kilmersdon to commemorate the village's association with the rhyme
A nursery rhyme is a traditional poem or song for children in Britain and many other countries, but usage of the term dates only from the late 18th/early 19th century. The term Mother Goose rhymes is interchangeable with nursery rhymes.
Illustration of "Hey Diddle Diddle", a well-known nursery rhyme
Popular Nursery Tales and Rhymes, Warner & Routledge, London, c. 1859
"Baa, Baa, Black Sheep", from a 1901 illustration by William Wallace Denslow
