Nobody can be sure whether the tale of The Muffin Man is fact or fiction. But whether it be a 1500s horror story or an urban myth, some people are only just discovering the truth behind the nursery rhyme bearing his name.
A British historian (@notmrspock_fact) shared a video on TikTok, starting with the first verse: “Do you know the Muffin Man who lives on Drury Lane?” He then unveiled the Muffin Man’s supposed true identity, Frederick Thomas Lynwood, who was alleged to have been a serial killer in London in the late 16th century.
“He killed children and his method of doing so – being a baker – was tying bits of string around a beautiful, tasty muffin and drawing the children in before he killed them,” the TikTok user explained in grizzly fashion. “Thanks for the story,” one TikTok user responded. “I’ll never sing this song again.”
Another responded: “I only found out about the dark references to nursery rhymes from a crime book I read recently.” A third person confessed: “Wow that really freaked me out, fact.” A fourth was equally as shocked: “Oh my God I always read that to my God Son.”
While a fifth TikTok user tried to calm fears, writing: “There is speculation he never existed. His bakery shop no longer exists (obviously) and his burial place may have been moved few times. So it’s hard to find any records of him.”
London Museum has a section of its website devoted to the Muffin Man, which reads in part: “The muffin man in the rhyme lives on Drury Lane, which is right next to Covent Garden in London. In the 18th century, it was a very poor area and had a terrible reputation.
“Many people went there to drink, gamble and sometimes even commit crimes. The Muffin Man would’ve sold his muffins to many of the people who lived and worked nearby.”
The White Hart pub, situated on Drury Lane, sheds more light on this character, maintaining the Muffin Man resided on the street from 1589 to 1598, and its website shares a more sinister tale explaining: “The story goes that Linwood killed as many as 15 children by luring them into dark alleys with a muffin tied on a string.
“He was also said to have killed seven rivals pastry chefs with a sharpened wooden spoon. While it’s accepted the origins of the Muffin Man story is now most likely an urban myth, who doesn’t love a good old 16th century British horror story!”