Goodbye, England's Rose Trivia Quiz

Answer: Queen Victoria

Victoria was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 1837 until her death in 1901. Born Alexandrina Victoria, she took over the throne when her uncle, William IV passed away. Her marriage to Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was happy and together they had nine children including future King, Edward VII.

She went into deep mourning on her husband's death, but still gave loyalty to the monarchy of her country and its dependents.

Answer: Gertrude Jekyll

Gertrude Jekyll (1843-1932) was born in London but lived her younger years in rural Surrey. Her brother was great friends with the author Robert Louis Stevenson, and the family name was used for his book "Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde". When Gertrude was of age, she enrolled at the South Kensington School of Art where amongst other things she studied botany. Following principles of the Arts and Crafts movement, her garden designs blended with their surroundings; the house, the land, and of course the colours and textures of the plants she used.

It was as though she used a paintbrush to plan her gardens, with all colours of the spectrum used in her designs. Working alone or in partnership with architect Sir Edwin Lutyens, she designed over 200 gardens in Britain, Europe and the USA.

Many of the gardens have since fallen into a state of disrepair but those which survived include Hestercombe in Somerset and Lindisfarne Castle in Northumberland, both lovingly restored to their former glory.

Answer: Jane Austen

There have been many British female authors who have struck a chord in my heart, including the Bronte sisters, George Eliot, Beatrix Potter and Agatha Christie, but it was Jane Austen who was my pick as the quintessential English rose for this quiz. Her works including, "Sense and Sensibility", "Persuasion" and "Emma" have all evoked a gentle era, but with subtle undertones of class divide and social standing. Add in a sprinkle of romance and you have the recipe to make any woman swoon! We all have our favourites, but mine has got to be "Pride and Prejudice". "You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you" declared Mr Darcy pompously to an astounded Miss Elizabeth Bennett during his first marriage proposal. All's well that ends well after his second proposal when he pledged his love to his "dearest, loveliest Elizabeth".

Answer: Gracie Fields

Gracie Fields was the first actress to portray Miss Marple. She did this in the 1956 TV production of Agatha Christie's "A Murder is Announced", which also starred Roger Moore and Jessica Tandy. Born in Manchester on 9th January, 1898, Gracie became the darling of British stage and screen, especially during the 1930's.

Her life also led her to carry out many charitable acts which earned her Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire bestowed by Queen Elizabeth II. She was also known for entertaining the troops during World War II, especially with her theme song "Sally".

She died of pneumonia aged 81, not long after performing on Royal Yacht Britannia when it was docked on the island of Capri.

Answer: Emily Davison

Anmer was a beautiful bay colt which belonged to King George V. He had been entered into a race at the Epsom Derby on 4th June, 1913, and was ridden by accomplished rider Herbert Jones. He was third from last when he rounded the bend at Tattenham Corner, a blur of royal silks as suffragette Emily Davison (b. 1872) walked under his path, causing the horse to stumble down and the jockey to sustain temporary concussion.

The horse survived to race again. Emily Davison died of her injuries four days later after suffering a fractured skull and internal injuries. Foolhardy or not, her death raised awareness of the suffragette movement.

In 1928, a law was passed giving British women over the age of 21 the right to vote and was given a royal assent on 2nd of July, two weeks after the death of another well known suffragette, Emmeline Pankhurst.

Herbert Jones, who by that time had retired from racing, laid a wreath at her grave.

Answer: Florence Nightingale

Florence Nightingale (1820-1910) was the founder of modern nursing. By training other nurses in the methods of hospital cleanliness, she saved many lives of the men who served during the Crimean War. When she first arrived in Turkey during 1854, she and other nurses were turned away, but they persevered and began to instil cleanliness and order into the wards.

The wards were initially filthy, overcrowded, rat infested, with blocked drains and mouldy food being served. Once the conditions started to improve, so did the fatality rate, with more soldiers surviving than ever before. And during the calm of the night, she would walk the dark corridors with a little lamp in her hands to inspect her work and feed hope to the injured men.

Answer: Isabella Beeton

Isabella Beeton was a British author who was well known for writing her 1859 "Book of Household Management". It gave expert advice on the management of a Victorian household, including first aid treatment, recipes, hospitality and general duties both above and below the stairs. An excerpt of the book included, "Afternoon tea should be provided, fresh supplies, with thin bread and butter, fancy pastries, cakes, etc., being brought in as other guests arrive". Mrs Beeton's husband was a publisher and she initially started writing articles for his "The English Women's Domestic Magazine".

This was so successful that he encouraged her to write a book and this was completed when she was only 21 years old. She also did much for charity by opening a soup kitchen for homeless children in her area.

She and her husband had four children of their own, but her life was cut short when she died of puerperal fever after the birth of their last child when she was aged just 28 years old.

Answer: Margot Fonteyn

Margot Fonteyn (1919-1991) was a true English beauty, with dark hair, slender body and a love for ballet from a young age. She studied dance in Shanghai before returning to England where she joined the Royal Ballet School. By 1939, she took on lead roles including Giselle from "Swan Lake", and Aurora in "The Sleeping Beauty".

In 1962, she was partnered with a young man half her age, the newly defected Russian dancer, Rudolf Nureyev. Their partnership lasted for many years and they last danced together when she was 69 years old.

She moved to Panama on her retirement as that was the home of her husband, Dr Roberto Arias. She died of cancer aged 71 years old.

Answer: Elizabeth Fry

Elizabeth Gurney (1780-1845) was brought up in a Quaker household with affluent parents who always taught her to respect the more needy. Her banker parents lived in Earlham Hall, a Norfolk country house built in the 17th century, and it was here that Elizabeth was home tutored.

She became socially aware at a young age and by the age of 18 had already set up a Sunday School for local children. Two years later she married banker Joseph Fry and they set up home in London where they had eleven children together.

She managed to find time to visit prisoners in Newgate Prison and was appalled by their living conditions. She set up reform groups and her humanitarian work was admired by both Queen Victoria and Prime Minister Robert Peel. Her legacy lived on after her death, with many new laws passed that improved living conditions inside prison walls.

Answer: Amy Johnson

Amy Johnson (1903-1941) was a British aviatrix, born in Yorkshire then moving to London to become secretary to a solicitor. It was here that she was introduced to flying and this all consuming hobby took over her life. She got her pilot's license in 1929, and became the first woman to become a ground engineer.

Her father helped fund her record breaking flight between Britain and Australia. She purchased a DH Gypsy Moth which she called "Jason" and started her flight on 5th May 1930, leaving Croydon to fly solo 11,000 miles to the other side of the world. On 24th May she successfully arrived at Darwin.

She received a hero's welcome when she returned home and was awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE). She carried on flying, both solo, and with her husband Jim Mollison.

She joined the Air Transport Auxiliary during World War II. Her plane crashed into the River Thames on 5th January 1941 during a routine flight, her body never recovered and her death shrouded in mystery to this date.