Poldark Places: the Books Trivia Quiz

Answer: American Revolutionary War

After Ross got into trouble in Cornwall for brawling, he took his father's suggestion of a junior commission in the army. He was soon in America, serving under General Cornwallis, and before war's end had been promoted to Captain.

A musketball in his ankle at the James River battle meant he was posted to New York, where during a minor skirmish at the very end of the war, he was bayoneted in the face, leaving him with a scar from the outer corner of his eye to lower cheek.

Answer: Nampara

Nampara house sat between the sea and Bodmin Moor, a long low series of buildings. Nampara was bordered on one side by Hendrawna Beach, and uphill from the house through fields (barren and empty on Ross's return from the war) to cliffs overlooking Nampara Cove.

Joshua had died less than two months before Ross returned to a derelict farm, an abandoned mine (Wheal Grace) which had been idle for several years, and a house that was filthy and in need of repair. Joshua's servants, Jud and Prudie Paynter, had neglected their work while drinking themselves into oblivion.

Answer: Truro

Truro is the southernmost city in England, and the only city in Cornwall. It became prosperous largely due to an upturn in the mining industry, when it became a major stannary town, assaying and stamping the tin and copper brought from the mines in the area.

In Poldark's day, Truro was the centre of social life and of commerce, and Ross had frequent need to spend time there, often in fruitless pursuit of business loans or mining partners. When it came to the TV series, Truro could not be used as a location as it is too modern. Instead, Corsham, Wiltshire became "Truro", while the little port of Charleston became Truro Harbour.

Answer: Trenwith House

Trenwith was the name of the house and land owned by the senior branch of the Poldark family. As the older brother, Charles Poldark inherited the considerable property, presiding over the prosperous (now waning in returns) Grambler mine, large cropping fields, and the stately home.

Francis, Charles' only son, inherited Trenwith on his father's death in 1786. His sister Verity remained on as unpaid housekeeper, helping Francis' wife, Elizabeth with the running of the household, and the raising of young Geoffrey Charles, Francis' heir apparent. The final member of the household (before the coming of George Warleggan) was Great-Aunt Agatha Poldark, who lived to be 100 years old.

Answer: Wheal Grace

Wheal Grace (formerly Trevorgie Mine) was the mine which Ross's father, Joshua, had re-established many years before, naming it after his wife, Grace. It had prospered at first, but after Grace died the mine had petered out, and Joshua, having spent most of his money on it, left it abandoned.

Later, with his shares in Wheal Leisure taken over by Warleggan, Ross and Francis went into partnership in Wheal Grace, and hoped to find copper at a lower level. Francis foolishly started following a mineral lead on his own and fell into a flooded part of the mine. He couldn't swim and drowned just before Ross found him.

Answer: Falmouth

Falmouth is a port town in Cornwall. During the 1790's it was home to two Royal Navy squadrons, being close to the English Channel.

Captain Andrew Blamey was a widower, Commander of the Lisbon packet which plied a regular trade between Falmouth and Portugal.

He and Ross's cousin Verity had formed an attachment some years before, but neither her father nor Francis, her brother, would allow them to marry. Demelza could not bear to see Verity so unhappy, and arranged, with some subterfuge, for them to meet in Truro, after first visiting Blamey at his home in Falmouth.

Answer: Waterloo

Jeremy was born in 1791, a year after his sister Julia died. Ross thought he came too soon after the pain of losing Julia, and showed him little love at first; however he was very close and loving with his mother, Demelza.

He had joined the army and become a Captain, before news came of Napoleon's escape from Elba saw him marching to Waterloo. Ross had been imprisoned, but reached the battle scene just after Napoleon's defeat, and found his son mortally wounded having been shot in the back. Jeremy died in Ross's arms. On the way back to London with her, Ross learned that Jeremy's young wife, Cuby, was pregnant with Jeremy's child.

Answer: Grambler

Grambler mine was close to Trenwith, and at one stage brought prosperity to the senior branch of the Poldark family. It also provided work and a subsistence income for 300 miners and their families. At the start of the series, Grambler was not providing much of worth, and an 80 fathom shaft was being contemplated.

Most miners in Cornwall were divided into tut workers and tributers. Tut workers were paid to dig the shafts and tunnels and were paid by the amount of rock removed. Tributers generally formed small groups and bid for a "pitch", a part of the working face of the mine. Their income depended entirely on how much, if any, saleable minerals they could dig from the mine.

Answer: Hendrawna Beach

Ross and Demelza's little daughter had just been buried, and there was no money to feed the mourners. Demelza, who had also caught the "putrid throat", had survived, but was still lying ill, when John Gimlett informed Ross of a ship in trouble - it had just cleared Damsel Point, but the wind and tide were carrying it in towards Hendrawna Beach, which abutted Nampara (Ross's land).

Ross checked with his spyglass and saw it was the Queen Charlotte, Warleggan's ship.
"Those people at the funeral, John. They should have been entertained and fed. We must see that they are this morning." (From "Demelza", Book 4, Ch.9)

Interestingly, in December 2016 the beach used to film the wreck scene in the Poldark TV series (Gunwalloe Church Cove) has revealed a 17th Century Dutch shipwreck.

Answer: Sawle

Sawle village housed many of the local miners, most employed at Grambler mine. It was in Sawle churchyard where Ross's parents, Grace and Joshua, and his brother Claude, who had died at the age of five, were buried.

Soon after his return home, Ross attended the wedding at Sawle church, of his cousin Francis to the love of Ross's life, Elizabeth Chynoweth.

Sawle and the nearby village of St Ann's were the fictional counterpart of the real town of St Agnes with Stippy Stappy Lane winding down to Trevaunance Cove.