The History of Cardiff Trivia Quiz

Answer: Silures

The Romans had invaded Wales the decade before under Nero. Although the ancient Romans were quite advanced militarily compared to the Silures, the Silures were able to put up a fight for sometime before being conquered. Once the Romans seized the land, the Silures became integrated within Roman culture, although they still held their own identity.

Answer: Cardiff Castle

Cardiff Castle was built on the site of an ancient Roman fortress by the Normans. It is not known who exactly ordered its building but popular lore states it to have been William the Conqueror. The castle is one of the most visited landmarks in Cardiff, although it no longer has its original appearance, having undergone several complete renovations in the course of its history.

Answer: Llywelyn Bren

Bren, like his great-grandfather, Ifor Bach, stormed Cardiff Castle as part of his revolt. Bren was unsuccessful and surrendered his life to spare his supporters. This was seen as an honorable move and many believed it would spare his life. However, Hugh Despenser the Younger, against orders from the king, executed Bren anyway by hanging him than drawing and quartering him. That execution was the downfall of both Despenser and King Edward II, as it was widely viewed as an unjustifiable act of tyranny.

Answer: Herbert

The Herbert family first rose started in 1461 when William Herbert was made Baron of Raglan. The Herberts remain an influential family into modern times. George Herbert was the financier behind the expedition to find King Tut's tomb in 1922. He opened it with Howard Carter and he died soon afterward, allegedly part of the curse of King Tut.

It was also during this time period that the common citizens of Cardiff could own their own homes and businesses, which they were not allowed to previously.

Answer: Battle of St. Fagans

The Battle of St. Fagans was fought between a group of Royalists, led by John Poyer, and the New Model Army, a pro-Parliamentary force. The Royalists who fought at St. Fagans were once Parliamentarians who turned their backs on them. They were soundly defeated by Thomas Horton, and Oliver Cromwell was then able to secure Wales for Parliamentary forces.

Answer: Docks and harbors

John Crichton-Stuart, also known as Lord Mount Stuart and the 2nd Marquess of Bute, not only built the docks and harbors, but also established numerous coal mines and ironworks. Much of the coal and iron was exported. This improvement to Cardiff's infrastructure helped the city expand economically and move away from its dependency on agriculture. Later Marquesses of Bute followed in his footsteps and built railways to connect Cardiff to other cities by land.

Answer: Barry

One of the main reasons Barry was able to do so well in the coal industry was because its harbors and docks could be accessed all day, year-round, while Cardiff's could only be accessed when the tides were right. People in Cardiff worried about how Barry's success would hurt them financially.

This was somewhat ameliorated when the British government announced that Cardiff would still remain the center of the coal industry and that the Coal Exchange, which regulates coal prices, would remain in Cardiff as well.

Answer: National Library of Wales

The founder of the National Library of Wales, Sir John Williams, believed that Cardiff had been too anglicized to deserve the National Library. He instead built it in Aberystwyth.

St. David's Cathedral is the most important Roman Catholic Church in Wales. It was destroyed during World War II but was soon rebuilt. This is not to be confused with St David's, which is an Anglican church, in the town of St. Davids, Pembrokeshire.

The main attractions at the National Museum are mostly archeological or scientific in nature. University College Cardiff, now Cardiff University, is part of the University of Wales founded in the late 19th century with university colleges in Aberystwyth, Bangor, Cardiff and later also Swansea.

Answer: True

More than 150 people were killed and over 400 were seriously injured, about half of the causalities Wales saw during the war on home ground. Llandaff Cathedral was severely damaged. On that night over 14,000 explosives, including hundreds of bombs, fell on the city within ten hours.

Although some days saw more explosives dropped, none of them saw that many fall within just a few hours. Cardiff was a leading industrial city in Britain and was a prime target for German bombs throughout the war. In total, over 2,100 bombs fell on Cardiff during the four years Germany was bombing the city.

Answer: Welsh Parliament Building

The National Assembly of Wales meets in the Senedd. The Assembly itself began in the late 1990s after previously being rejected via ballot referendum. The Assembly was essentially powerless until 2006 when the British Parliament passed the Government of Wales Act.