What is the origin of Old king cole?

Answer 1

The origin of the rhyme, Old King Cole, was based off of a real king. He was a Celtic King whom lived in third century AD. He seized a Roman Colony and named the place after himself. The name we know as the town he settled, is Colchester, England. (In Latin, the word for camp was castrum which later became chester in English, thus the name meaning Cole's Camp) His doing of this aroused the popular rhyme:

Old King Cole

Was a merry old soul,

And a merry old soul was he!

Old King Cole

He sat in his hole

And called for his fiddlers three.

And every fiddler he had a fine fiddle

And a very fine fiddle had he.

"Tweedle-dee, tweedle-dee!" said the fiddler's three!

Answer 2

Old King Cole is a figure from English nursery rhymes and folklore. The origin of the character is unclear, but he is often depicted as a merry old soul who is surrounded by musicians and entertainers. The earliest known reference to Old King Cole dates back to the 18th century.