Well, Connie, they were given some prominence in 13th century England, where a famine in 1273 in Northern England reduced the whole population of the area to eat peas and nowt else for nearly three months. The Lord of the Manor, however, had a herb garden which had not failed, so his family and immediate retainers were able to relieve the tedium of such a uni-vegetative diet by adding thyme to the cooking pot.

The peasants heard about this, and, believing that the Lord of the Manor had penty of thyme on his lands, got the priest to utter the prayer in church one Sunday, in front of the Lord of the Manor and his family, "Grant us thyme in our peas, O Lord!"