Named After British Monarchs? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Dog

The King Charles spaniel is a dog breed which resembles a small cocker spaniel. It has four recognised colour patterns; red, red and white, black and tan and tri-coloured. In America it is usually known as the English toy spaniel but it should not be confused with the cavalier King Charles spaniel which is a different breed.

It was probably first bred in England during the sixteenth or seventeenth century and is most closely associated with King Charles II (1630-1685). (My neighbour's dog is tri-coloured and is called Maisie.)

Answer: Greengrocers

King Edward potatoes have been one of the most popular varieties in Britain for centuries. It is a good all purpose potato which can be used for baking, roasting, chipping and mashing.
Potatoes were first brought to Britain from the Americas during Tudor times. It is likely this variety of potato was named after Edward VI (1537-1553), its name certainly pre-dates the accession of King Edward VII in 1901.
Other popular varieties of British potato include maris piper, desiree and cara.

Answer: Furniture

Anne was the last of the Stuart monarchs as she died without issue despite many pregnancies.
Examples of the Queen Anne style are found in tables and chairs, cabinets and other pieces of furniture. It is characterised by its curvilinear design, cabriole-style legs, and scallop-shell carvings. It is lighter in form and design than the Georgian styles which came later.

Answer: Plum

Victoria plums are a popular variety of English plums, they are ripe during late August and September. They were named sometime around 1860 after Queen Victoria (1817-1901).

Victoria Plum is also the name of a children's literary character popular during the late twentieth century.

Answer: A translation of the Bible

The translation of "The Holy Bible" from Greek and Hebrew texts into the English Language began in 1604. It was necessary to get royal assent from the king before work could commence. The King was James I and the Bible became known as "The Authorized King James Version". It was first published in 1611.

Answer: Virginia

Virginia was originally named after Elizabeth I; 'The Virgin Queen'.
Maryland was named after Henrietta Maria, Queen Consort of Charles I.
The Carolinas were also named in honour of Charles I.
Louisiana was named after the French King, Louis XIV.

Answer: The pub

Four successive kings named George ruled Britain (with varying degrees of popularity) from 1714-1830. Much of this time corresponded to the age of stagecoaches, when horse-drawn carriages would take people around the country. The horses and travellers would need rest and recuperation along the way and coaching inns were built along all major routes.

Some of these were named after the various King Georges. Many of the pubs were lost after the railways came and the days of coaching were over but some survived and still keep their original names.

Not all pubs called 'The George' would have been named after the kings however, some would have been named after St George, the English Patron Saint, who reputedly killed a dragon.

Answer: Vodka

Mary I (queen from 1553-1558) was the daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. She was determined to bring England back into the Roman Catholic fold and was ruthless in her determination to do so. Her actions earning her the epithet 'Bloody'.

The origin of the cocktail 'bloody Mary' is disputed but it almost certainly was first made in New York at some time in the twentieth century. It was named after the English Queen because of its colouring. Beside the main ingredients of tomato juice and vodka, various other ingredients may be added such as Worcestershire Sauce, Tabasco Sauce and seasonings.

Answer: False

William the Conqueror invaded England in the year 1066 and fairly rapidly took control of the country.
The horse chestnut tree (Aesculus hippocastanum) is an introduced species originally found wild in the Balkans (Eastern Europe). It was not introduced into Britain until the late sixteenth century, so no obvious connection between William the Conqueror and horse chestnut exists there. The fruit or nut of the tree are widely known as conkers in the UK and this word has led to confusion. The most likely etymological source for the word is from a dialect word for snail-shell (similar to conch) which the 'conker' resembles somewhat.
Generations of schoolchildren have collected conkers to play a game called 'conkers' with them.
The game involves threading the conker onto a length of string and then taking turns at hitting an opponent's conker to see which one lasts the longest.
The name conkers (for the fruit) predates the game of conkers, the first record of which comes from The Isle of Wight in 1848, although similar games existed prior to that using hazel nuts.

Answer: Plant

Good King Henry (Chenopodium bonus-henricus) is a perennial plant found growing wild in Britain. It is edible and has been cultivated in vegetable gardens over the years; the leaves can be chopped and used in salads and the stems can be peeled and cooked. This has led to it being sometimes called poor-man's asparagus. It is also known as fat-hen.

It is unclear as to which of the eight English Kings called Henry the plant is named after but it could possibly be Henry VI (who lost the throne in 1461 and reclaimed it in 1470) who Shakespeare referred to as "Good King Henry".