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Quiz about In the Feudal Court of Sir Hugo

In the Feudal Court of Sir Hugo Quiz

This is a story quiz to test your knowledge of feudalism. Sir Hugo de Courcy returned from the Crusades to find his estate mismanaged and in need of a firm hand. You are invited to bear witness to his attempts to put his affairs in order. Enjoy.

A multiple-choice quiz by fiachra. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
fiachra

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
172,656

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
1048

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. 'Why have no tolls been collected'?, asked Sir Hugo angrily looking at his accounts. What would anyone pay tolls for? Hint

Permission to hunt

Permission to sell livestock

Permission to fish

Permission to marry

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. 'No banalities have been collected from my warren'. What creatures would you expect to find in a warren? Hint

Pigs

Salmon

Deer

Rabbits

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. 'I see', continued Sir Hugo, 'that Tom Allenbar died, but no heriot was collected'. What form did the heriot tax usually take? Hint

Animal

Crops

Money

Wine

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. Looking accusingly at his ashen faced steward, Sir Hugo continued furiously. 'You collected the relief tax from Sir Giles, but where is it'? Why did Sir Giles have to pay relief tax? Hint

Marriage

Tithes

Death

Inheritance

NEXT>

Question 5 of 10

5. 'I notice that many of my tenants' homes in a very bad state of repair.' Which of the following were there to help the tenants? Hint

Hallmote

House-bote

Haye-bote

Hayward

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Question 6 of 10

6. 'I see my bolting house was struck by lightning, and not re-built, I might add'. What work was done in a bolting house? Hint

Wine press

Carpentry

Weaving

Milling

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Question 7 of 10

7. Twisting his hat between his bony fingers and keeping his eyes downcast, Master Collingwood begged for amercement. What did that mean? Hint

Death

Wife

Vengence

Fine

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. 'Roberto de Nero has made off with pearls and diamonds belonging to Lady Matilda'. Turning to Abb� Pascal, Sir Hugo asked whether 'outfangenethef' would help catch the thief.

True

False

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. A messenger approached Sir Hugo and whispered in his ear of an assize in a nearby town. What did 'assize' mean? Hint

Church

Crusade

Army

Meeting

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. Sir Hugo rose and stared icily at his steward. 'You will be cast into the oubliette to be dealt with more fully on my return'. What was an 'oubliette'? Hint

Stocks

Forest

Pillory

Dungeon

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. 'Why have no tolls been collected'?, asked Sir Hugo angrily looking at his accounts. What would anyone pay tolls for?

Answer: Permission to sell livestock

The places where animals were sold became very important as villages and then towns developed from them. Many towns eventually got charters from the local lords to have the right to govern themselves. Tolls sometimes also had to be paid on roads, just like today.

2. 'No banalities have been collected from my warren'. What creatures would you expect to find in a warren?

Answer: Rabbits

Hunting rights had to be bought by paying a fee to the lord. Many poorer people poached but if they were caught the penalties were very severe.

3. 'I see', continued Sir Hugo, 'that Tom Allenbar died, but no heriot was collected'. What form did the heriot tax usually take?

Answer: Animal

This was a death (inheritance) duty and usually took the form of the best living animal or best 'dead chattel' having to be handed over to the lord.

4. Looking accusingly at his ashen faced steward, Sir Hugo continued furiously. 'You collected the relief tax from Sir Giles, but where is it'? Why did Sir Giles have to pay relief tax?

Answer: Inheritance

The inheritance tax was paid by the heir. Failure to pay this tax technically meant that a son could not inherit his father's property, could be dispossessed and left to the mercy of the elements.

5. 'I notice that many of my tenants' homes in a very bad state of repair.' Which of the following were there to help the tenants?

Answer: House-bote

House-bote gave the tenants the right to use the wood from the lord's estate to repair their houses. In many places they were only allowed to use timber which had fallen in a storm and could be fined for cutting fresh timber.

6. 'I see my bolting house was struck by lightning, and not re-built, I might add'. What work was done in a bolting house?

Answer: Milling

'To bolt' meant 'to sift'. A bolting house was where the bran was sifted from the flour. There was only one bolting house on most estates and, you guessed it, you had to pay to use it.

7. Twisting his hat between his bony fingers and keeping his eyes downcast, Master Collingwood begged for amercement. What did that mean?

Answer: Fine

Its modern equivalent is to throw yourself on the mercy of the court in the hope that a fine will be accepted instead of a more serious punishment. The word 'mercy' is identifiable in 'amercement', I think.

8. 'Roberto de Nero has made off with pearls and diamonds belonging to Lady Matilda'. Turning to Abb� Pascal, Sir Hugo asked whether 'outfangenethef' would help catch the thief.

Answer: True

Yes it would. This gave the lord of the manor the right to pursue a thief outside his jurisdiction, bring him back for trial and confiscate his goods. This sounds like our modern process.

9. A messenger approached Sir Hugo and whispered in his ear of an assize in a nearby town. What did 'assize' mean?

Answer: Meeting

An 'assize' was a meeting of feudal lords with their king and was also used to describe the edicts issued from these meetings. Later they came to mean the courts of justice in England. There was also an 'assize of arms' where able-bodied adult men had to appear with their weapons - in order to be inspected to see if they were ready to fight effectively at short notice.

10. Sir Hugo rose and stared icily at his steward. 'You will be cast into the oubliette to be dealt with more fully on my return'. What was an 'oubliette'?

Answer: Dungeon

It was literally a hole in the castle floor and those thrown into it had no escape. It comes from the French word 'to forget'. So you can guess the fate of the incapable steward.

Source: Author fiachra

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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