About Lord Peter Trivia Quiz

Answer: Death Bredon

In the story "Murder Must Advertise", Lord Peter takes a job at Pym's Publicity Ltd. using his middle names ("Death Bredon") as his other identity. Incidentally "Death" should be pronounced to rhyme with "teeth". David Balfour is a hero in the works of Robert Louis Stevenson, (Sir) Donald Bradman an Australian cricketer (arguably the greatest Australian cricketer), and Donald Booth a modern English actor.

Answer: Modern History

Dorothy L. Sayers provided a biography for Lord Peter for several of her novels, very much like an entry in "Who's Who", in which all sorts of personal details are revealed, including his graduation with first-class honours in the school of Modern History in 1912. "Greats" is the name given to one of Oxford's more famous programme of studies, covering what we would call Classics, combined with Ancient History and Philosophy.

Answer: Cricket

This is revealed in the novel "Murder Must Advertise", where Lord Peter is playing for Pym's Publicity under his assumed name of Death Bredon in a match against a rival advertising firm. Stung by an aggressively bowled ball, he displays the form that made him famous at Oxford, prompting an elderly spectator to remark "Aren't you Wimsey of Balliol?", thus blowing his cover.

Answer: Norfolk

In the last chapters of "Busman's Honeymoon", Lord Peter and Harriet, after solving a murder in their honeymoon home, take refuge at Duke's Denver. Here we get to see first-hand the ancestral home, complete with family ghosts. That it is located in Norfolk is strongly implied in the novel and confirmed by the personal entry created by the author.

Answer: That she intends to marry a policeman.

Over the course of several novels Peter's good friend, Inspector Charles Parker, has been courting Lady Mary Wimsey. In the novel "Strong Poison", Lord Peter encourages him to declare his intentions, and by the end of the story she has agreed. They will have two children, Charles Peter and Mary Lucasta.

But Lord Peter has a greater surprise in store for the family, that he intends to marry the woman he has just freed from a charge of murder.

Answer: In a prison.

Lord Peter has been attending the trial of Harriet Vane, a writer of detective fictions, for murdering her lover, Philip Boyes. After the jurors fail to reach a verdict and a mistrial has been declared, Lord Peter goes to visit Harriet at Holloway Gaol.

After her eventual acquittal at the end of "Strong Poison", their courtship continues through "Have His Carcase" and "Gaudy Night", at the end of which she accepts his proposal. Their honeymoon, complete with murder mystery, is related in "Busman's Honeymoon".

Answer: Great Pagford

Great Pagford is a fictional village in North Hertfordshire, where Harriet's father was a doctor. Leahampton is the setting for "Unnatural Death", Wilvercombe for "Have His Carcase", and Fenchurch St Paul for "The Nine Tailors".

Answer: Katharine Climpson

In the novel "Unnatural Death", Lord Peter introduces his friend, Inspector Charles Parker, to what he calls "My Cattery", a group of women who act as his investigating agents. These are headed by Katharine Climpson, who also has a major role in solving the murder in "Strong Poison". All the other answers are characters in Dorothy L. Sayers' novels: Mary Whittaker, the villain in "Unnatural Death"; Mrs Weldon, whose fiancé is murdered in "Have His Carcase"; and Agnes Twitterton, a major character in "Busman's Honeymoon".

Answer: Jukes

Gerald Wimsey was named after his father, Gerald the 16th Duke of Denver. As the eldest son and heir, he held the title Viscount Saint George, and is usually referred to as "Saint-George" in "Gaudy Night". He is also called "Jerry", presumably to distinguish him from his father, Gerald.

In the short story "The Learned Adventure of the Dragon's Head", when the nephew is aged ten, he has the nickname of "Jerrykins", which has been turned into "Pickled Gherkins" and then just "Gherkins".

Answer: Gerald

In the short story "Talboys', set in 1942, we meet Lord Peter's family at their country home. Lord Peter and Harriet have three sons: Bredon (born 1936 and given the name of the ancestral hall), Roger (born 1938 and bearing a traditional family name), and Paul (born 1941 and named after Peter's uncle). Gerald is the name of the Duke of Denver and his son, but not one that was given to Lord Peter or any of his sons.