Edward Rutherfurd Trivia

1. What does the word "forest" mean (at the start of the novel, I mean)?

From Quiz "The Forest" - Edward Rutherfurd

Answer: Private Royal Hunting Ground

The word was French in 1066 and when William The Conqueror (who was Norman and French) took the English throne he brought that word with him. Sherwood Forest from the Robin Hood legend and of course The New Forest in this story are good examples.

From Quiz London

Answer: Julius Caesar

At the time his name would actually be pronounced Hulius (or "Yulius") Kaiser. "Caesar" had always been pronounced like the word for a German emperor, but over time people pronounced it with an "S" instead. In the text he is referred to as "a bald man with an intelligent face".

From Quiz London

Answer: Ducket

When William the Conqueror insists all his new English subjects have a surname (for his famous Domesday Book) the latest descendant of Segovax from 45 BC chooses "Ducket" because of the webbing in his hands.

From Quiz Edward Rutherfurd

Answer: Salisbury

Rutherfurd grew up in Salisbury, which undoubtedly provided the inspiration for his first book.

From Quiz "The Forest" - Edward Rutherfurd

Answer: A wooden Crucifix

Brother Adam's mother had given it to him, saying a crusader had brought it from the Holy Land. When poor Adam was blinded and later introduced to his old girlfriend's new son, she whispered she had named him Adam (after his father!). Since Adam Senior did not have anything else in the world he gave his secret son the cedarwood crucifix. The wooden device appeared quite regularly in later chapters, several centuries older each time.

From Quiz London

Answer: Silversleeves

Frequently described as long-nosed, tall, with black hair, it's hard not to picture a Silversleeves looking like the character Snape from the Harry Potter movies!

From Quiz Edward Rutherfurd

Answer: Sarum

Although all of Rutherfurd's books end in the present day, each begins with a distant ancestor living in the area featured in the plot. Sarum begins in around 8000 BC, Paris was never written (see Q1), Russka begins 180 AD and The Forest begins 1099 AD.

From Quiz "The Forest" - Edward Rutherfurd

Answer: Puckle

In the first chapter (about the mysterious killing of King William "Rufus" II) Adela, one of the protagonists, has a crush on a married man (people are only human, even in those days). Adela is a visiting Frenchwoman who hears rumours that Puckle's wife is a witch. So she visits their house deep in the woods and asks the witch to cast a spell to cause the death of the man's unfaithful wife (who is dying anyway). The witch (she never denies being a witch) casts the spell and tells Adela that soon she will be very happy. But it is actually the married man who dies shortly after - not his wife! Adela marries someone else though, and seems happy enough with him.

From Quiz Edward Rutherfurd

Answer: New York

The title for a future novel perhaps?

From Quiz London

Answer: Queen Elizabeth II

The final chapter is set in 1997 (which was the present day when this novel was published) and is called "The River". But it does not refer to The Thames, it refers to the river of different ethnic bloodlines flowing through most Londoners. The Queen herself is never seen or mentioned.

From Quiz Edward Rutherfurd

Answer: Cambridge

Cambridge it was...

From Quiz "The Forest" - Edward Rutherfurd

Answer: Willie Seagull and Jonathan Totton

The two boys certainly had a lot of memorable times together, traveling across country to find a "dragon", participating in a sailing race, nearly being shipwrecked, all the while avoiding the class conflict between Willie's poor father and Jonathan's rich one.

From Quiz Edward Rutherfurd

Answer: William atte Brigge

The determination and spectacular success of the Brigge (later Wilson, then Forest) family is one of the pivotal storylines of 'Sarum'.

From Quiz "The Forest" - Edward Rutherfurd

Answer: A wild boar

According to Major General G H Mills (whom the author consulted) the legendary Bisterne Dragon had probably been an overgrown wild boar. It would prey on livestock at nighttime, and its blazing eyes, frothing mouth, tusks, and breath in the cold air helped fuel the dragon legend many years after a knight had slaughtered it. Young Willie and Jonathan had sneaked away one morning to travel to Bisterne to see the famous dragon. Needless to say they did not, and when they returned to Lymington that night everyone who had been worrying about them was furious. When the boys told their fathers where they'd been, Alan Seagull whipped his son but ended up laughing so hard his wife had to finish for him.

From Quiz "The Forest" - Edward Rutherfurd

Answer: Battle of the Spanish Armada

The Forest's inhabitants, descended from those in previous chapters, know a war between England and Spain is inevitable. Some want the Spanish to win and restore England's "proper" religion. One of these conspirators is aided by her less-than-willing grown-up son, who would rather stay out of the fight but cannot stand up to his mother.

From Quiz London

Answer: Stuart and Georgian

There are some maps at the start of the book, one showing Roman/Saxon London, the next showing Medieval/Tudor times, the next showing Georgian/Victorian London, and the last showing present-day London (with its numerous surrounding suburbs). Some say it might have been better to put a new map at the start of each chapter. I agree!

From Quiz Edward Rutherfurd

Answer: Sarum & sarum

The men of the Mason family, for example, remain bald and stocky from the building of stonehenge right through until the 1980's!

From Quiz "The Forest" - Edward Rutherfurd

Answer: Oak

These three curious trees grew new leaves a week during Christmas, which is why the locals called them "miraculous". But that wasn't the only reason they were special. One of them was said to be the tree that Walter Tyrell's arrow bounced off and accidentally killed William II. But it turns out this tree is about 200 years too young. Not only that, it was planted by Brother Luke in chapter 2 as he was on the run for a murder he did not commit (a century after William II died!). In addition, an acorn from one of the oaks would eventually grow into a tree. That tree would become Lord Nelson's flagship in another 200 years.

From Quiz London

Answer: Gold

In London (or Londinium) in 251 A.D. a young man hides some Roman Gold in a drainage ditch when he is pursued by the authorities. 1700 years later it is finally found by his family.

From Quiz Edward Rutherfurd

Answer: London & london

Although released 10 years earlier, 'Sarum' has been overhauled by the worldwide bestseller 'London'. Both 'Russka' and 'The Forest' have had modest sales in comparison.

From Quiz "The Forest" - Edward Rutherfurd

Answer: Don Deigo

When Don Deigo meets Clement Albion he introduces himself as David Albion. Clement knows straight away this man is actually the brother-in-law he's never met - he has no relative named David! A few pages later Clement murders Don Deigo when it's clear the Spanish have lost the 1588 naval battle, and Don Deigo is the only one who knew Clement had been forced by his mother to spy for them.

From Quiz "The Forest" - Edward Rutherfurd

Answer: Treason

The poor old woman had seen it all: the English Civil War, the trial of Charles I, Oliver Cromwell's reign. She had helped some people hide from the authorities at one point.

From Quiz "The Forest" - Edward Rutherfurd

Answer: Charles II

In 1670 Charles II, his illegitimate son Mormouth and some female "friends" went hunting and saw the famous Rufus Tree. Readers know this site is not really where Charles' ancestor was killed, but then a man named Purkiss comes along and enforces the lie. This man tells the King a gripping story about his ancestor carting the body away. The King is impressed and pays him, even though it is not clear whether Purkiss told the truth. What IS true is that the Purkiss family to this day run a food emporium in nearby Brockenhurt - which the author says "Without a visit to which no trip to The Forest would be complete".

From Quiz "The Forest" - Edward Rutherfurd

Answer: Mrs. Grockleton

Mrs. Grockleton was hilarious! She would forget things so often; e.g. she would tell people she had five children but her husband would cough politely and point at the youngest. "Why, little Johnny! Of course, I'd forgotten all about you." and she changed the total to six.

From Quiz "The Forest" - Edward Rutherfurd

Answer: Customs officer

His job was to catch as many smugglers as possible. This made his standing in the community awkward as most people on the southern coast considering "free-trading" a harmless crime. He had a plan to make an enormous "bust" one night, but it all went wrong.

From Quiz "The Forest" - Edward Rutherfurd

Answer: The Forest's survival

The New Forest Association includes a Lord, a Colonel and plenty of others. Not just landowners. They are trying to ensure parliament does not decide to get rid of The Forest.

From Quiz "The Forest" - Edward Rutherfurd

Answer: Minimus Furzey

Minimus was an artist descended from Brother Adam (the monk in Chapter Two who became a father, just not in the priesthood sense!). Minimus was nothing like his well-behaved, disciplined ancestor: he never worked, lived off his sisters' charity, and took nothing seriously.

From Quiz "The Forest" - Edward Rutherfurd

Answer: Dottie Pride and Peter Pride

Dottie also comes across the wooden crucifix from Chapter Two. She is a news-caster doing a feature film on The Forest. Her boss is John Grockleton and the feature was his idea. His family is also from The Forest but he doesn't know it!

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