Ellis Peters Trivia

1. What was the name of the castle that Phillip FitzRobert brought to King Stephen when he defected?

From Quiz Brother Cadfael's Penance

Answer: Cricklade

Brien de Soulis was the castellan of Faringdon. La Musarderie was a castle Phillip acquired later by ambushing its original owner. Beaumont was the family name of the Earl of Leicester.

From Quiz Brother Cadfael: The Holy Thief

Answer: To protect her from the rising flood

When the rain in Wales made a deluge of water come racing down the Severn River, the Abbey of Shrewsbury came under threat of flood and many of the valuable relics were carried to higher, safer places. St Winifred was to be one of these but when the brothers went to place her back on her altar, all they found was an old piece of wood. Brother Cadfael fervently hopes nobody checks what's inside the reliquary as it doesn't contain St Winifred but the body of Brother Columbanus who died on the journey to collect St Winifred in "A Morbid taste for Bones".

From Quiz Brother Cadfael: A Morbid Taste for Bones

Answer: Six

Six brothers made the journey. Brothers Cadfael, John, Colombanus and Jerome along with Sub-prior Richard and Prior Robert travelled to Gwytherin in Wales. Brother Cadfael managed to get himself and Brother John included in the group as he was the only Welsh speaker in the Abbey and Brother John was good with horses and mules.

From Quiz Brother Cadfael: The Hermit of Eyton Forest

Answer: Brother Anselm and Brother Paul

Brother Paul, as master to the boys, and Brother Anselm accompanied Richard to his father's funeral along with Brother Cadfael. This prevented Dame Dionesia from keeping the boy at the manor against his father's final wishes. Brother Robert should actually be Prior Robert and Brother Jerome is his aide. Brother Edmund runs the infirmary, Brother Porter mans the gate and Brother Urien is a scribe who isn't actually mentioned in this book. He is mentioned in the next book in the series, "The Confession of Brother Haluin".

From Quiz The Virgin in the Ice

Answer: Worcester

Many people fled the fighting in Worcester to seek a safe haven in more secure places like Shrewsbury. The Abbey infirmary quickly filled and straw was laid down in the corridors for the excess. A large number of towns were besieged and captured, some multiple times, by both King Stephen and Empress Maud as they fought for the throne of England.

From Quiz Brother Cadfael - "The Devil's Novice"

Answer: Nigel

Leoric Aspley is Meriet's father, Janyn is his neighbour and the twin brother of Nigel's wife-to-be Roswitha. Brother Paul is master of the boys and novices at the Abbey. (All my answers are from the book, but you may have noticed, if you have watched the movie, that Meriet's brother is called Tristan and several other characters have their names changed as well.)

From Quiz Brother Cadfael

Answer: Benedictine

Shrewsbury Abbey was home to monks of the Benedictine order.

From Quiz The Private Life of Brother Cadfael

Answer: Wales

Cadfael ap Meilyr ap Dafydd is a Welshman, born in Gwynedd, although he spent most of his youth overseas as a soldier and retired to the Abbey of St. Peter and St. Paul in Shrewsbury. In the introduction to "A Rare Benedictine," Peters notes that due to Shrewsbury's proximity to the Welsh border, the hero of these historical novels "had to be Welsh, and very much at home there." She chose an extremely unusual name, of which she writes that she could find no mention after the christening of St. Cadog (who apparently "had no further need" of it after his childhood). Cadfael returns to Wales several times throughout the series; in fact, the very first novel, "A Morbid Taste for Bones," sees him accompanying as translator an expedition for relics for the abbey.

From Quiz One Corpse Too Many

Answer: King Stephen

It is 1138 and King Stephen and Empress Maud are fighing for the throne.

From Quiz Brother Cadfael's Penance

Answer: Coventry

On the way he ran into Yves Hugonin, Olivier's young brother-in-law, who was also there looking for Olivier.

From Quiz Brother Cadfael: A Morbid Taste for Bones

Answer: St Winifred

St Winifred, Patron Saint of Gwytherin and Holywell in Wales, was the saint the Benedictine brothers went to bring back to Shrewsbury. This part of the story is not fiction but fact. In 1138 her relics were placed on the altar at Shrewsbury Abbey but were later scattered on King Henry VIII's orders in 1540. Her remaining relics were taken to Rome but were returned to England in 1852 and now reside at Shrewsbury and Holywell. St Dwynwen is worshipped throughout Wales and Cornwell while St Richildis is worshipped in Switzerland. St Giles is the Patron Saint of Edinburgh (Scotland), Tolfa (Italy), Blacksmiths, rams, horses and many different illnesses and ailments. This is probably why the leper house in "Cadfael" is named after him.

From Quiz Brother Cadfael: The Hermit of Eyton Forest

Answer: A pony

On the day of the funeral, Dame Dionesia sent a groom with a Welsh pony for Richard in an attempt to lure him home. She also tried to convince the Brothers who had accompanied Richard to let him stay with her for the night but Brother Paul politely declined and insisted that it was his duty to see Richard safely back to the Abbey.

From Quiz The Virgin in the Ice

Answer: A son

On the day that Cadfael departed from Shrewsbury, Aline Beringar gave birth to a son, whom they named Giles after Aline's brother who died in "One Corpse Too Many". The pregnant girl from Worcester, whom they had taken into their home, also gave birth to a son one day later. In later books we learn that Cadfael was named as godfather to Giles Beringar and is given leave to visit him occasionally.

From Quiz Brother Cadfael: The Murders

Answer: Meurig

Meurig, the illegitimate son of Gervase Bonel, poured monk's hood oil he had taken from the infirmary into the dish sent by the prior. Edwin, who is Gervase Bonel's stepson, was suspected of the crime and hunted down but on arrival at the abbey the sergeant was shocked to be told he had not captured Edwin Gurney but Edwin's nephew Edwy who looked almost identical to Edwin. This is from the book "Monks Hood".

From Quiz Brother Cadfael - "The Devil's Novice"

Answer: Assaulting Brother Jerome

Meriet assaulted Brother Jerome, his priest and confessor, after he found a lock of hair in Meriet's bed and burned it in front of him. Meriet was lucky not to have been excommunicated.

From Quiz Brother Cadfael

Answer: two

Cadfael had a "girlfriend" before he left for the Crusades, Richildis, who appears in "Monk's Hood". He also conceived a child with Mariam: "The Virgin in the Ice" tells us of their romance.

From Quiz The Private Life of Brother Cadfael

Answer: the Crusades

At fourteen, Cadfael had pledged his service to a wool merchant, but when he dies the boy decides to quit and become a Crusader -- despite the lovely girl, Richildis, with whom he is in love. He spends the better part of two decades in the Middle East in the early 1100s (the time of the First Crusade) before serving as a man-at-arms in Normandy and in England. This particular aspect of his worldly life is the subject of great awe and speculation by his fellow monks, most of whom grew up in the cloister.

From Quiz St. Peter's Fair

Answer: Welsh

Brother Cadfael grew up in Wales, spent his youth traveling the world as a crusader and mercenary, and retired to the Abbey of St. Peter and St. Paul as an "old man" in his fifties. He is now the monk in charge of the abbey's herb gardens and healing potions, but he is often called upon to translate since Shrewsbury is near the Welsh border. The merchant he's translating for on this occasion is a very canny man named Rhodri ap Huw.

From Quiz One Corpse Too Many

Answer: Godith

Godith is the daughter of Foulke Adeny. Adeny and William FitzAlan are loyal to Empress Maud. Adeny wanted to make sure his daughter would be safe from Stephen's men.

From Quiz Brother Cadfael's Penance

Answer: The Empress Maud protected him

Phillip wanted to have Yves arrested but the empress would not allow it. Phillip then laid an ambush to abduct Yves to La Musarderie.

From Quiz Brother Cadfael: The Hermit of Eyton Forest

Answer: Hiltrude

Hiltrude Astley was in love with her father's steward and had no desire to marry Richard Ludel. Richard was taken by force in the forest and kept locked up until he agreed to marry Hiltrude. In the end both agreed to the marriage but only because they knew something their guardians didn't!

From Quiz The Virgin in the Ice

Answer: Ermina Hugonin

Lord Boteral claimed a bandit stabbed him in the course of the battle as he defended his people but Ermina later revealed that this was not true. Boteral did not defend his people; he fled with Ermina to Ledwyche. Boteral realised he would lose the lands he stood to gain from Ermina's dowry when she refused to marry a coward so he made to rape her. As he went to grab her, Ermina, realising his intentions, stabbed him with her dagger before fleeing into the forest.

From Quiz Brother Cadfael: The Murders

Answer: Gloves

In "St Peter's Fair" Master Thomas had come to Shrewsbury for the fair and also to pass on a secret message to his contact. Euan of Shotwick was that contact and after Master Thomas was fished out of the Severn River dead, he searched Thomas's barge in the hope that he would find the secret message. When he didn't, he was forced to wait and hope that Thomas's niece, Emma Vernald, knew where the secret message was and who it was to be delivered to.

From Quiz Brother Cadfael - "The Devil's Novice"

Answer: Burned in a charcoal hearth

Peter Clemence was burned in a charcoal hearth where fuel for stoves and braziers was usually made. The other three answers were from other Cadfael books. The 94 legally dead bodies are from "One Corpes Too Many", the mill wheel is where Father Ailnoth turned up in "The Raven in the Foregate" and the frozen brook in where a young nun was found in "The Virgin in the Ice".

From Quiz Brother Cadfael

Answer: King Stephen and Empress Maud

Matilda was supposed to get the throne of England but she wasn't in the country at the time of the sovereign's death, so Stephen usurped the crown and they fight for it bitterly.

From Quiz The Private Life of Brother Cadfael

Answer: 40

Asked to reminisce about the Crusades or provide advice on a secular problem, Cadfael often refers to his "forty years in the world." He left for the Crusades when he was about 17, wandering throughout most of the known world, before finding peace and fulfilment in the monastery. The short story "A Light on the Road to Woodstock" tells the story of Cadfael's decision to take vows. Disgusted with what a man-at-arms is occasionally called on to do, Cadfael has his moment of revelation when he walks into a chapel on a whim. A child touches the hilt of his sword to ask, "Should not all weapons of war be laid aside here?" Cadfael ponders briefly and lays the sword as an offering beneath the altar. "It looked strangely appropriate and at peace there. The hilt, after all, was a cross."

From Quiz One Corpse Too Many

Answer: Herbalist

Brother Cadfael has his own private shed where he works with his herbs. That's where Godith stays.

From Quiz Brother Cadfael's Penance

Answer: He was thrown from a horse

Cadfael deduced he was in fact murdered by de Soulis because he would never have agreed to the surrender of Faringdon.

From Quiz Brother Cadfael: The Holy Thief

Answer: Sortes Biblicae

The Sortes Biblicae involved each claimant being brought to the altar blindfolded. They then opened the bible randomly and pointed to a verse on the page. The verse pointed to was the Saint's answer to their prayers. For those who were wondering the other, very random, phases loosely translate to... Sincerus Piscis - Genus of fish Abbas Hominum - Father of man Volatilis Volutabrum - Flying pigs

From Quiz The Virgin in the Ice

Answer: In a frozen brook

Sister Hilaria's body was stripped and dumped in a freezing brook with the hope she would be counted among the many who had died at the hands of the bandits, which she had not. She was attacked and killed in a shepherd's hut but then her body was moved to hide what had been done.

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Last Updated Nov 16 2024 5:48 AM

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