Bury Me Not Quiz | Geography

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Our first -bury should be easy. The name of this city in Wiltshire, England, is also associated with a Plain and (mistakenly) with a steak. Which of the following, also known as a cathedral city, would this be?

Answer: Salisbury

Rather than being named after the English cathedral city, Salisbury steak is actually named after Dr. J.H. Salisbury, the American physician who invented it. Also, it is not an actual cut of steak, but actually ground beef formed into a steak-like shape. Salisbury is located near Salisbury Plain, upon which Stonehenge is located.

There are also towns named Salisbury in Massachusetts, North Carolina, Connecticut, and Maryland.

2. The largest and best-known cities and towns ending in -bury are in England. Our next is another UNESCO World Heritage Site and religious center, known for its pilgrims (and their tales), as well as two archbishops who were taken out by English monarchs. Which of these is it?

Answer: Canterbury

The assassination of Archbishop Thomas Becket in 1170 established Canterbury as a pilgrim site, with Geoffrey Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales" being based in such a pilgrimage. Other saints associated with Canterbury include St. Augustine of Canterbury, St. Anselm, St. Mellitus, St. Dunstan, St. Adrian, and St. �thelberht, King of Kent.

The list also includes Thomas More, who is venerated by the English as a saint, as well. The name Canterbury developed from the Old Welsh "Cair Ceint," meaning Fortress of Kent, which in Old English became Cantwareburh.

3. Our next -bury is in Somerset and is associated with a nearby holy hill topped by a tower. The town is also associated with Joseph of Arimathea, the Holy Grail, and King Arthur. Which of the following is this beautiful town which legend says was visited by Jesus as a child?

Answer: Glastonbury

Many legends and stories lend an aura of sacredness to Glastonbury. One legend says Joseph of Arimathea brought the Holy Grail to the area. The Arthurian Cycle also clings to the area. In 1191 monks claimed to have found the graves of Arthur and Guinevere near the Abbey Church in the town.

The first recording of the town's name, in the Seventh Century, was Glestingaburg. The "burg" usually refers to a fortified position, while "Glesting" is most often interpreted as the personal name from either early Saxons or Celts in the area.

4. If you're familiar with the literary figure of Brother Cadfael of the Abbey of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, then you'll know our next -bury town, located near the Welsh border. Cadfael's Twelfth Century adventures take place in what is today one of the largest towns in Shropshire, England. Can you pick out the birthplace of Charles Darwin from the following choices?

Answer: Shrewsbury

The Shrewsbury Tourist Information Bureau calls the city "one of England's finest medieval market towns." Often referred to as the "Town of Flowers," Shrewsbury's historic center is nestled within a curve of the Severn River. Among its attractions are the Castle (now a regimental museum) and the Shrewsbury Abbey.

The name Shrewsbury comes from "Schrosberie," which is from the Old English Scrobbesburh, meaning, among other things, "Scrobb's Fort," "fort in the scrub-land," and "the town of the bushes." Another place name descending from Scrobbesburh is Shropshire. America also boasts Shrewsburys in Massachusetts and Missouri.

5. Another area abounding in -bury towns and cities is the U.S.'s New England, especially Massachusetts and Connecticut. One of the latter was at one time producing almost a quarter of America's hats, thus earning the nickname, "The Hat City." Can you identify this city, named after a city in Essex, England, and not a tribe of Israel?

Answer: Danbury

Although located in Connecticut and home of Western Connecticut State University, Danbury is also within the New York Metropolitan area. In 2010 it had a population of 80,893. There are also Danburys in North Carolina and Iowa.

6. Another New England -bury city, this time in Vermont, is also the site of a small liberal arts college by the same name. Founded in 1800, making it one of America's oldest liberal arts colleges, it was the first to award a Bachelors Degree to an African-American when Alexander Twilight earned his degree in 1823. Now, get to the heart of the matter and pick out this former home of John Deere and Robert Frost.

Answer: Middlebury

Middlebury is the county seat of Addison County, Vermont. Indiana also boasts a Middlebury, located in Elkhart County in the heart of Amish country.

7. For our next -bury, let's head down under. I was lucky to find this one while reading the locations of some of Funtrivia's top players. Known as The City of Three Waters for its location on Koombana Bay and Leschenault Inlet off the Indian Ocean, this -bury was Australia's fastest growing city through 2005 and 2006. With its name, I'm sure this city has great bakeries! Can you guess it?

Answer: Bunbury

The name Bunbury is in honor of a British soldier named Henry William St Pierre Bunbury, who developed a land route from another coastal town, Pinjarra, located at the mouth of the Murray River. A major feature of the city's skyline is Bunbury Tower, while the area also features an old lighthouse and lookout tower on Marlston Hill.

8. From Down Under, let's go north of the border (for American trivialists) to the location of The Big Nickel. Located on the Canadian Shield, this -bury in Northern Ontario boasts a 30-foot replica of a 1951 Canadian nickel on the grounds of Dynamic Earth, a Science Education Center teaching about geology and mining in the area. Which -bury is it?

Answer: Sudbury

With a population of around 160,000, Sudbury is Northern Ontario's largest city in both area and population. There is also a Sudbury in Boston's western suburbs, as well as a smaller town in Suffolk, about 60 miles northwest of London, England.

9. Our last quiz -bury town back in "the colonies," is far from New England. It is in Nebraska, my neck of the woods, although there is also one in Illinois, Iowa's eastern neighbor. Both had populations within a couple hundred folks of 4,000 in the 2000 census, but we'll give top billing to the Cornhusker city because it's a county seat. If I ask you not to cheat, I'm sure you can deduce the correct choice from the following:

Answer: Fairbury

Fairbury, Nebraska, owed its founding and growth to the railroad, originally the St. Joseph and Denver City Railroad, but in later years the Rock Island Line. Located close to a station on the Oregon/California Trail, Fairbury was also near the site of "Wild Bill" Hickok's shooting of a local rancher named David McCanles, the first of Hickok's career as a gunslinger.

The three incorrect choices are all in England, Tewkesbury in Gloucester, Shaftesbury in Dorset, and Malmesbury in the Cotswolds.

10. For our last -bury, we return to merrie olde England. The name of this town of Buckinghamshire is also associated with a breed of pure white domesticated duck, which is still bred in this area. Which of the following is it?

Answer: Aylesbury

Aylesbury also boasts a college of the same name. It also boasts the King's Head Hotel, which lays claim to hosting Henry VI and Margaret of Anjou during part of their honeymoon. Henry VIII also made use of the hotel while wooing Anne Boleyn. Aylesbury's first recorded name is �glesburgh, which means "Fort of �gel", although the exact identity of �gel has been lost.

Source: Author shvdotr

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Tizzabelle before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Bury Me Not Trivia Quiz

... before I'm gone. Meanwhile, can you choose the right city whose name ends in "-bury"? Have fun.

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