The London Museum notes the Muffin Man in the rhyme resides on Drury Lane, adjacent to Covent Garden in London, which was a impoverished area with a notorious reputation in the 18th century.

The Muffin Man nursery rhyme was first recorded around 1820 and tells the tale of Frederick Thomas Lynwood, who lived on London's Drury Lane in the late 16th century Skip to main content News ...

the muffin man. NOW, URBAN LEGEND HAS IT THAT A LONDON BAKER BY THE NAME OF FREDERICK LINWOOD LIVED ON DRURY LANE AND USED TO LURE CHILDREN IN WITH MUFFINS IN ORDER TO ALLEGEDLY DO THEM HARM. UM ...

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 ...