h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

My interpretation of the Humpty Dumpty poem as taught to me at school in Colchester is as follows;

In 1648 during the English Civil War the Royalists captured the Parliamentary town of Colchester, because it was a vital town the Roundheads laid siege. During the siege the King's supporters had a very large cannon sited on the walls of the town near St Mary's church. It's nickname was Humpty Dumpty. I don't remember much from my school history lessons but apparently it was a very powerful gun and the Roundheads concentrated their fire on it. It was knocked off the wall and was broken beyond repair, hence all the Kings' horses (cavalry) and all the Kings' men (infantry) couldn't put Humpty together again.
It was only until Lewis Carrol's "Through the Looking Glass" that Humpty Dumpty was associated with a big fat egg.

I have no real proof of this apart from dim recollections of history lessons many, many years ago, but I believe that there is some information on the web somewhere that does have proof.

Matt