Conversation:

Just a small point: St Mary-le-Bow and Bow Church are two different things.

Have you got something to back that up? Like the whereabouts of Bow Church if, as you say, it's different?

I put a lot of research into this entry, and I'm fairly sure it's all correct. However, I am happy to change things if it's proved that I'm not.

Although very confusing, there are 2 churches in London known as Bow Church, the first being St Mary-le-Bow, and the second St Mary at Bow, about 3 miles away from St Mary-le-Bow.

Oh c'mon... what a stupid comment to this researcher.

Its is so well documented that the church in this rhyme (and for that matter where the Bow Bells resides that a true cockney must be in earshot of) is St Mary-le-Bow and has nothing to do with St Mary and the Bow area. just a simple google search brings up tonnes of stuff on this. I thought we had got over this once common mistake.

Good research and a well writen piece.

I'm not sure who's comment you say is stupid, I hope it's not mine.

I, personally, never rely on Google for this sort of thing. Google can only return hits on what people have put onto websites - and if the majority have got things wrong - so will Google. I've seen it before - one person gets it wrong, then as is the nature of the internet, the next person creating a site copies the first one and suddenly the wrong info is all over the place, and when people like me research things properly we get told we're wrong. Hah.

I prefer to go out and check a library, or vist the places to find out the real history. I think I also rang the British Library for information in this article, although it meant I ended up removing a fact that turned out to be wrong.

Thank you for saying it's a good entry with good research, especially as you had to sign up to say it.

Bow Church is in Bow. It's actually on a traffic island in the middle of Bow High Street.
St Mary le Bow is in Cheapside in the City of London.
They are two different churches.