English Group Quiz

Answer: County Durham

County Durham was ruled by 'Prince Bishops' for approximately 800 years and was seen as almost an independent state. The Prince Bishops were given powers equal to those of a king. For example, they were entitled to raise armies and hold their own courts and parliaments. The king of England considered it necessary to have these powerful rulers in the North, to defend the country from Scottish invasions.

Question provided by Helen295.

Answer: A member of the garrison betrayed the defenders.

Colonel Pitman was the man responsible for betraying "Brave Dame Mary" or Lady Bankes. Corfe Castle must be one of the most ideally situated pre-gunpowder castles in Britain (the world?), as well as being one of the most picturesque. If you're ever in the Purbeck Hills in Dorset, drive between Wareham and Swanage and see for yourself!

Question provided by andynwilliams.

Answer: St Bartholomew's Hospital

St Bartholomew's Hospital has existed on the same site for almost 900 years. It survived both the Great Fire of London and The Blitz.

Question provided by Bobik.

Answer: John Milton

As well as being a poet, John Milton was a political figure and served Oliver Cromwell's government as Secretary of Foreign Tongues. Besides English, he wrote poems in Greek and Latin.

Question provided by Roy711.

Answer: Just one - a glass fronted bookcase

All three were principally known for influential books on furniture design and were influenced by Robert Adam.

Chippendale published the very well received 'The Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker's Director' in 1754. His designs are in three main styles - Gothic, Rococo (called modern in the pattern book), and Chinese. Chippendale's name is given indiscriminately to great quantities of furniture; but only few pieces can be assigned with certainty to his workshop. Once he became head of a large firm, he did not make furniture himself.

George Hepplewhite died in 1786 and his wife Alice published the 'Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterer's Guide' in 1788 with two subsequent editions. No piece can definitely be attributed to Hepplewhite's firm.

Sheraton seems to have been apprenticed to a cabinetmaker, but was also an inventor, artist, mystic, and religious controversialist. He was ordained as a Baptist minister in 1800 and was first known as a writer on theology. Sheraton supported himself mainly as an author and only one furniture piece of his is known with certainty--a glass-front bookcase, stamped "T.S." inside one drawer. He published his 'The Cabinet-maker and Upholsterer's Drawing Book' in 49 separate parts between 1791 and 1794. Later he published 30 of the projected 150 parts of his 'Cabinet-Maker, Upholsterer and General Artist's Encyclopaedia', but died before completion in 1806.

Question provided by tnrees.

Answer: Bexhill-on-sea

The eighth Earl De La Warr, in conjunction with the Automobile Club of Great Britain and Ireland, subsequently the Royal Automobile Club, helped to organise the very first automobile race on British soil in May 1902. More than 200 entries competed in the inaugural event. Thousands turned up to witness the spectacle of motor cars racing at speeds in excess of 50mph. The speed limit of the day was only 12mph!

Question provided by Solarbears.

Answer: Sheffield F.C.

Sheffield Football Club was officially founded in October 1857 by members of a local cricket team.

The club also drew up the 'Sheffield Rules'. Although they did not rule out all handling of the ball, these rules placed greater emphasis on the use of the feet to control the ball than most other versions of the game at the time. Eventually they were influential in the standardisation of rules under the Football Association.

Sheffield F.C. have spent much of their history in the lower divisions of the game. In the 2008-2009 season they finished in mid-table in the Northern Premier League Division One South - the eighth tier of English leagues.

Question provided by ErnestS.

Answer: Alnwick Castle

Alnwick Castle is one of England's largest inhabited castles. Construction of the castle began in 1096. It was purchased in 1309 by Henry de Percy and became the ancestral home of the powerful Percy family. Harry Hotspur, son of the fourth Lord Percy and first Earl of Northumberland, was made famous as one of the main characters in Shakespeare's "Henry IV, Part 1".

Question provided by Helen295.

Answer: Letchworth Garden City

Roundabout-style junctions were first used in France in the 1870s, but Sollershott Circus in Letchworth was the first to appear in the UK. It was intended to help pedestrians more than motorists. Since cars were getting faster and more numerous, too many people were getting stuck in the middle as they tried to cross the six road junction. Twenty years later, it was decided to make all traffic navigate roundabouts in the same direction!

Question provided by Bobik.

Answer: Caulkheads

The origin of the word Caulkead (or Corkhead) is unclear, but it may have been derived from the activity of 'caulking' or sealing wooden boats. Overners is a term used for inhabitants originating from the mainland.

Question provided by Solarbears.