1800-1899 UK History Trivia

1. While Queen Victoria was monarch for most of the nineteenth century, she wasn't there at the beginning. Who was on the throne when the 1800s began?

From Quiz Back to the Nineteenth Century

Answer: George III

With so much focus on the length of Victoria's reign it is sometimes easy to forget that George III was king for nearly sixty years. He ascended the throne in 1760 at the age of twenty-two and his reign saw numerous cataclysmic changes in Britain and around the world. The fight for independence by the USA (1776), the French Revolution (1789), the Act of Union (1801) which united Great Britain and Ireland and the first moves to abolish slavery were among them. The reign was lengthy but punctuated by bouts of ill health, including insanity, and the final years of George's life needed a Regency Act, passed in 1811, to enable his son to act on his behalf.

From Quiz The Years of the Regency

Answer: Denmark

The battle took place off the coast of Anholt, a small Danish island which the British navy had occupied since 1809. Two British vessels, the Tartar and the Sheldrake, successfully engaged 18 Danish gunboats. As a result, the British continued to occupy the island until 1814. A monument erected on the island in 2011 commemorates the lives lost in the battle.

From Quiz Victoriana

Answer: Harrow

Although most of Churchill's ancestors and family attended Eton, it was felt that the close proximity to the dampness of the River Thames would be detrimental to his health. Harrow School sits atop a hill, where the air was thought to be more beneficial.

From Quiz The Victorian Underworld

Answer: Rookeries

St Giles rookery was possibly the most famous due to its location between Great Russell Street at its north side, Long Acre to the south and Charing Cross Road/Drury Lane on the east and west respectively. This meant that respectable people visiting the shopping streets or entertainments of the west-end feared they would be the victims of crime, only to have the miscreant melt back into the impenetrable darkness of St Giles.

From Quiz Regency England: History and Culture

Answer: He was mad.

The inability to speak English did not disqualify German born George I, the first Hanoverian king and great-grandfather of George III, from being King of England. The madness of George III is believed to have resulted from an inherited disorder, Porphyria. His profligate son became Prince Regent and, ultimately, King George IV.

From Quiz Social Struggles in 1840s Britain

Answer: The silk weavers of Lyons, 1832

The silk weavers of Lyon revolted several times in the 1830s but most memorably in 1832, when 30,000 people had left work to demonstrate and demand higher wages. Paris had also witnessed numerous crises since the 1789 revolution. The word "needlewomen" was often used in the 19th century as a euphemism for prostitutes.

From Quiz 19th Century British History

Answer: William IV

William IV, little known for anything except his role in the Reform Bill of 1830-32, was replaced in 1837 by a much more famous monarch, Victoria.

From Quiz Back to the Nineteenth Century

Answer: Michel Ney

Napoleon's bid for total domination of Europe was stopped by two famous battles with Britain. The first was the naval battle of Trafalgar, in 1805, which cost Horatio Nelson his life, while Waterloo was a land battle in Belgium which brought Napoleon's supremacy to an end. Against the French forces was an alliance of armies from several countries, under the overall leadership of the Duke of Wellington with the Prussian Count von Blucher being his main deputy. Michel Ney was one of the leading officers on the French side but was court martialled after the battle by his own side and executed in December 1815. Napoleon himself was, of course, exiled to Saint Helena.

From Quiz The Years of the Regency

Answer: He was assassinated.

Perceval was assassinated as he entered the House of Commons building. His assassin, John Bellingham, was a merchant who felt he had been unjustly denied compensation by the British government. Through the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries, Perceval was the only British Prime Minister who was assassinated. At the time of his death, Perceval was married to the former Jane Wilson and was the father of thirteen children, twelve of whom survived him. He was born in Mayfair, London in 1762. He never led troops into battle.

From Quiz Victoriana

Answer: English

Churchill went on to become an eminent writer - in particular his biography of his ancestor John Churchill, First Duke of Marborough. He also was one of the finest British political orators in the 20th or any other century.

From Quiz The Great Stink

Answer: River Thames

The population of London doubled between 1801 and 1841, and the volume of sewage reaching the Thames became a serious public heath hazard. Interestingly enough, some properties had their sewage collected at night by "soil men" for use as fertilizer on the fields around London. Recycling at its best, but not a nice job. The River Wandle runs through southwest London for approximately 9 miles. It joins the River Thames at Wandsworth. The Wandle was probably used as a source of drinking water and as a sewer but became known for being polluted by industry. A little further away is The River Severn, the longest river in Great Britain, at 220 miles. It rises in Wales, then flows through Shropshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire. Back to London, the River Fleet is London's largest subterranean river. It once ran on the surface but was eventually covered over. At one time it was little more than an open sewer.

From Quiz Social Struggles in 1840s Britain

Answer: Manchester

A major clash between workers and soldiers (national guard and cavalry) took place in 1819 at St Peter's Field, Manchester. Several hundred people were injured and ten persons died. "Peterloo", as it came to be known, became a symbol of working class agitation for Parliamentary reform and of the government's efforts to suppress it. Manchester was prone to riots, and the 1840s were no exception.

From Quiz 19th Century British History

Answer: William Pitt the Younger

Pitt the younger, King George III's prime minister for two terms, followed in the family tradition of serving the House of Hanover.

From Quiz Back to the Nineteenth Century

Answer: Difference engine

Babbage was a talented mathematician and inventor and is venerated by many as the 'father of modern computing'. He was among the founders of the Analytic Society in 1812, the Royal Astronomical Society in 1820 and the Statistical Society in 1834. The difference engine was able to carry out calculations automatically and is often described as being an early version of the modern computer. Babbage also left detailed notes for the Analytical Engine which would have been akin to the computers we use now had the technology needed to build it existed at the time.

From Quiz The Years of the Regency

Answer: Sense and Sensibility

The works of Jane Austen (1775-1817) represent to many a modern reader the spirit of the Regency. "Sense and Sensibility" was first published anonymously "By A Lady" in 1811. The novel, which tells the story of Elinor and Marianne Dashwood, sold out of its first print run of 750 copies by 1813.

From Quiz Victoriana

Answer: Jenny Jerome, USA

Born in Brooklyn, New York. One of three daughters of wealthy parents. A great beauty, she is famous or infamous for her many affairs. Her affair with King Edward VII was highy beneficial to Winston's early social and professional advancement.

From Quiz The Victorian Underworld

Answer: A brothel

The link between prostitution and the theatre is long standing, and until at least late Victorian times 'actress' was a very disreputable description for a woman. There was even an old rumour that a secret underground tunnel linked London's Lyceum theatre with a nearby brothel.

From Quiz Social Struggles in 1840s Britain

Answer: "Mary Barton"

"Mary Barton: A Tale of Manchester Life" was Gaskell's first novel and brought her instant fame. The workers' rebellion is described so poignantly that some blamed her for not taking the factory owners' viewpoint in consideration. She achieved a greater balance in her other major social novel "North and South" (1855). "Wives and Daughters" (1866) does not deal with social struggle, and Gaskell never wrote a novel called "Times of Struggle".

From Quiz 19th Century British History

Answer: Corn Laws

The Corn Laws, deemed a menace to a free market economy, were repealed by the Conservative government of Sir Robert Peel in 1846 in face of fierce opposition from most of his own Party ... Many argue it was the Irish Potato Famine that accelerated the repeal. The issue of the Corn Laws left the Conservatives weak and divided, with many leading Conservatives joining the Whigs (Liberals).

From Quiz Back to the Nineteenth Century

Answer: Grand National

There is a question mark over the first Grand National as there are records of races in 1836, 1837 and 1838 but these are regarded as unofficial as they may not have been held at the racecourse in Aintree. History records the first winner as a horse called Lottery in 1839 and the race has been run most years apart from during the World Wars. There was a void race in 1993, due to a mix-up at the start, when several horses completed the course but others did not compete as their jockeys were aware of the false start. The 2020 pandemic also meant the race could not be held. Aintree is near Liverpool. Of the other options, the Derby and St. Leger are not steeplechases and the Cheltenham Gold Cup dates from 1924 as a race for jumpers. In addition, only the St. Leger, held in Doncaster, could be considered a northern race.

From Quiz The Years of the Regency

Answer: Washington, DC

The burning occurred during the War of 1812 and was seen in part as retaliation for the US Army burning buildings in Port Dover in Canada. Public buildings in Washington that suffered severe damage included the President's Mansion (today's White House) and the Capitol Building. Due to the attack, President James Madison and others were temporarily forced to relocate to Brookville, MD. The underlying causes of the war included British impressment of sailors from US ships into the British Navy.

From Quiz The Great Stink

Answer: Victoria Embankment

One of Bazalgette's many challenges was choosing the location of the sewers. To avoid disruption to the city of London it was decided to lay the largest sewers alongside the Thames. They were then covered over, creating the Victoria Embankment Construction of Battersea Power Station began in 1929, and the station was closed in 1983. A famous London landmark known for its four chimneys, it is reportedly the largest brick-built structure in Europe. King Edward VII (Queen Victoria's son), commissioned Admiralty Arch in 1910 but died before it was completed. The arch was designed by Sir Aston Webb and forms a gateway from Trafalgar Square to The Mall, the processional road running along St. James Park and linking Buckingham Palace to Horse Guards Parade. The Monument was constructed in the 1670s in commemoration of the Great Fire of London (1666). The Monument is a tall stone Roman Doric column located in the City of London, near to London Bridge. It was built 61 metres (202 feet) from where the Great Fire of London started, the same distance as its height.

From Quiz The Victorian Underworld

Answer: Navvies

Working up to a seven day and a seventy hour week was considered normal to navvies (the name derives from 'navigator'). Navvies dug the ground and they laid thousands of miles of railway lines without the use of machinery. Unwinding at the end of a job consisted of getting very drunk and sometimes fighting - to the terror of the local population.

From Quiz The London Poor c. 1850

Answer: 10% or less

It was estimated that only three percent of costermongers had been in church. 'Chance children', that is children with no acknowledged father, were rare. Boys seemed to start cohabiting at about 14 and the girls a couple of years older.

From Quiz Regency England: History and Culture

Answer: The ton

Although one might suppose that "ton" referred to social weight, in fact, the term "ton" derived from the word "tone" and refers to style and manner. However, style and manner alone would not be sufficient for one to be included in the ton. Riches and high birth were equally requisite. "Crew" was a cant term for gangs of gypsies, thieves and/or beggars. According to the 1811 "Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue", "cooler" referred either to a woman or to that portion of her anatomy upon which she sat. A "hoity toity" was "a giddy, thoughtless, romping girl".

From Quiz Social Struggles in 1840s Britain

Answer: "Hard Times"

"Hard Times" (1854) is renowned for dealing with the themes of industrialization, education, and Utilitarianism in the fast moving Industrial Revolution. Parody is used mercilessly against the factory owners whose belief in rationalism and Utilitarianism (of the very crudest kind) is absolute. (The character of Thomas Gradgrind is a typical example).

From Quiz 19th Century British History

Answer: Sebastopol

The siege of Sebastopol lasted many months and was the primary battle of the Crimean War. Florence Nightingale tended to British soldiers during the siege.

From Quiz Back to the Nineteenth Century

Answer: Treaty of Nanking/Nanjing

This was the treaty under which Hong Kong was ceded to British rule, which only ended in 1997. This was just one of several treaties imposed by foreign powers on China and which are known by the Chinese as the 'unequal treaties'. As well as the British, treaties were signed with France, Russia and Japan, to name just some of the imperialistic powers of the time. They entailed China having to pay money, hand over land, give privileges to foreigners and allow free trade. China refers to the period between 1839 and 1949 as the 'century of humiliation'.

From Quiz The Years of the Regency

Answer: Mining

The Davy Lamp was designed to be used by coal miners inside the mines. With the wick of the lamp enclosed inside a mesh, it was thought that explosions from methane and other flammable gases were less likely. Scientist Humphrey Davy (1778-1829) also discovered multiple elements, including potassium and calcium.

From Quiz Victoriana

Answer: "Die, die, the last thing I intend to do is die!"

At which point he expired in 1895 at the age of 85.

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