Banbury
a town of Oxfordshire, England. It is situated on the Cherwell, twenty-two miles north of Oxford. It is a town of about 13,000 people. Banbury of Merrie England was a noted market town. Banbury ale and cakes were famous. Banbury cheeses were so thin that they were "all paring." Shakespeare alludes to persons as thin as a Banbury cheese. The town appears to have been a Puritan stronghold, at least the expression "Banbury saint" and "Banbury man" were used to denote a Puritan. The customary cross that stood in the old open air market of Banbury is famous in nursery rhyme. It was taken down sometime during the reign of Elizabeth, but it is still celebrated in the nursery rhyme:
Ride a cock horse
To Banbury Cross,
To see an old woman
Upon a grey horse,
With rings on her fingers
And bells on her toes,
She shall make music
Wherever she goes.
To Banbury Cross,
To see an old woman
Upon a grey horse,
With rings on her fingers
And bells on her toes,
She shall make music
Wherever she goes.
Ride a cock horse
To Banbury Cross,
To see what Tommy can buy
A white penny loaf,
A white penny cake,
And a twopenny apple pie.
To Banbury Cross,
To see what Tommy can buy
A white penny loaf,
A white penny cake,
And a twopenny apple pie.
Volume I · Aiton’s Encyclopedia