A Very Victorian Valentine Trivia Quiz

Answer: Geoffrey Chaucer

That would be the Father of English Literature, Geoffrey Chaucer. I have been to pay my respects at his tomb in Westminster Abbey several times! And yes! I know all about his "Canterbury Tales" (c. 1400) because he is one of Miss Alice's (my governess) favorites. His "Parlement of Foules", also called "Assembly of Fowls", is credited with being one of the first times Valentine's Day was said to have been a day for lovers. Yes - I know.

St. Valentine is the patron saint of lovers, but from what we can tell, his Feast Day observances were pretty tame compared to what the ancient Romans did during the Lupercalia! One of the lines in the poem, which was written for the one year anniversary of the engagement of King Richard II and Anne of Bohemia makes a reference to being "seynt Volantynys day" (sent Valentine's Day). While some say that Chaucer may have been referring to a different St. Valentine, Miss Alice and I prefer to credit him with beginning it all. By the way, Shakespeare also mentioned Valentine's Day in "Hamlet" (c.1600) in a speech by Ophelia, "...And I a maid at your window, To be your Valentine."

Answer: February is bird-mating season.

Here is where I need to give you the entire quote from "Parlement of Foules":

"For this was on seynt Volantynys day
Whan euery bryd comyth there to chese his make".

Apparently people in the 14th century believed that birds choose their mates during February. While some birds like doves do mate for life, all birds do not follow this practice. Lovebirds, for example, do not mate for life, but they do like to sit close to their mates like people in love sometimes do. Did you know that ravens, the birds that guard the Tower of London and protect the Crown, also mate for life? And they also nest in February - but they never leave. Miss Alice had to get some Science and Nature into our lesson and distracted me from making valentines for a time!

Answer: Nylon tulle

Miss Alice has assembled quite a lot of materials for us to use, including lace paper, ribbon, real lace, seashells, seeds, dried grass, and flowers. We are working very hard to think of some jokes or verses that will entertain our friends when they open our creations. I am working on a rebus card where some of the words in the verse will be replaced with pictures I have drawn. We believe that making our own cards is better than just buying them; the truth of the matter is that the manufacturing of valentines is big business these days, with literally thousands and thousands being made by card companies.

Author's Note: While John and Miss Alice may have used silk tulle for their cards, nylon hadn't been invented yet!

Answer: True

This took me a bit of time, but I attached small pieces of string to the birds' wings so that they can move back and forth when the string is pulled and appear to be flying. Miss Alice made a valentine that featured a Cupid with a moving arrow. I have seen some commercially made cards from Germany that feature doors that open and close, and even have carts with moving wheels. Last year my older sister received a valentine that featured a picture of a young woman and had a verse that said "Will you marry me?" There was a tab on the card that would cause the young woman's head to nod up and down when it was pulled.

Although it caused quite an uproar - Father, who inspects all of the valentines, was angry and she did a lot of blushing and made a lot of denials - nothing ever came of it.

Many valentines are sent anonymously, you know.

Answer: Penny Black

The Penny Black, which came into use in May of 1840, was an adhesive postage stamp. It featured a portrait of Queen Victoria on paper that was 3/4" wide by 7/8" tall. At the top of the stamp was the word "POSTAGE" and on the bottom it said "ONE PENNY". Honestly, the stamp was kind of a bust; red ink was used to cancel it, and because it was difficult to see and easy to remove, some people used the same stamp over and over.

In 1841, the Penny Red stamp was created and black ink was used to cancel the stamp. How did this affect sending valentines? The Treasury has released information that claims that 60,000 valentine cards were posted in 1835, while - are you ready for this - 400,000 cards were sent in 1841!

Answer: The sender always pays the postage.

The success or failure of Sir Roland's postal reform has been debated and discussed for years in England. Yes, his reforms made the postal service a government monopoly, but proponents of the reform believe that it was worth it because it made it possible for more people to afford to post mail. Before the person who received the mail had to pay the postage, which was charged according to where it was going and how many sheets of paper the message contained. There was a burden, especially on working class people who received mail; sometimes the postage they had to pay was a day's wages. The cost made it very difficult for people who had to move away from their family to keep in touch at all.

Now, with the passing of the Uniform Penny Post, mail that weighs a half ounce or less can be sent anywhere in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland for one penny! Sir Rowland tried to also pass a clause that made the sender always pay for the postage; even though he was not entirely successful on this point, it did eventually become policy that the sender would always pay the cost of postage. And - because the sender had the option to pay for the postage he could also send his Valentines anonymously. I am not sure if that is completely a good thing, but people sure do seem to enjoy exchanging cards and being able to be a bit less strict about expected behavior and protocol during Valentine's Day season. The people who may not enjoy the season so much are those who deliver the valentines. There are provisions in place that ensure their right to rest and refreshment so they do not become overtired with all the extra work.

Answer: Vinegar Valentines

Vinegar valentines are typically not made at home because they can be purchased and posted at a very inexpensive price. In addition, the sender of such a nasty greeting would not want usually want anyone to know who they are. We are taught from an early age to be polite and courteous to people - even if they do not treat us the same way. Valentine's Day is not just a time to show love, it's also viewed by many as a time to get even!

The postcard that my brother received said, "Found, a man's Brain, containing much meanness, a moderate portion of folly, and very little intellect. If this is the property of Edward he may have it returned with much pleasure". That is pretty strong language. I have to admit that he could change his ways a bit. Maybe this will help him to do so. At least he didn't get a card about his baldness! Really, some of the cards are quite cruel. Unmarried women seem to especially be targeted, but there is a Vinegar Valentine for just about anything a person does that makes you unhappy or angry - or if one just feels the need to pick on someone else.

Answer: Richard Cadbury

Richard and George Cadbury took over their father's (John Cadbury) chocolate company in Birmingham a few years ago in 1861. They were selling their "fancy chocolates", which is what they called an assortment of different flavors, already. What Richard did was decide to put their "fancy chocolates" in "fancy boxes" that were shaped like a valentine heart. My sister loved receiving one of these boxes, as she plans to store trinkets inside once the candy is gone - and, the candy is amazingly good!

By the way, the other confectioners listed are from Switzerland!

Answer: Fidelity and love

A person who sends this type of postcard is definitely hinting at marriage. Not only does the church stand for fidelity, it also represents honorable intentions. Of course, red symbolizes love; I wouldn't be surprised if she doesn't receive red roses too. This does not appear to just be some passing fancy that someone has for my sister. While she claims she does not know who sent the card, I believe otherwise.

Miss Alice taught me how to fold my cards so that they can contain a hidden message and even a small gift without anyone else ever finding out. I don't have any idea why she would think that is important, but I complied with her instructions. She also taught me to be very careful about the message that I convey with colors and symbols. While pictures of birds and Cupid (he shoots the arrow that causes someone to fall in love according to ancient myth) are pretty commonplace, certain flowers have certain meanings - like lilacs symbolize the beginning of love - as well as certain colors. White stands for purity and pink stands for grace and beauty. From my father's reaction, I will guess that it is a good thing that he wasn't home when the card with red bloomers on it arrived!

Answer: True

You may not believe it, but our Queen who has been in deep mourning since the death of her husband, Albert, in 1861 does send valentine cards. In fact, it is rumored that she even sent a valentine to her Scottish servant, John Brown. This makes perfect sense, as sending Christmas cards has been a tradition she has observed for many years.

Author's Note: Today it is known that John's question wasn't just based on rumor. It is written that Victoria did send very "artless" valentines to John Brown. While some would suggest that this proves that their relationship was very proper and innocent, others are not quite so sure. It would be difficult to prove as Edward VII, her son and successor, made an attempt to destroy Brown's personal papers and anything else that connected him to Victoria after her death. There is a New Year's card in the Windsor Royal Archives that was sent for New Year's and indicates a close relationship. Its verse, says in part,

"To you my heart's best treasure
Then smile on her and smile on me
And let your answer loving be,
And give me pleasure".

Okay! For those of you who are concerned that the correct answer is based too much on hearsay and rumor, let me end with this. It is known that Victoria sent valentines to Benjamin Disraeli, and the one sent in 1880 was especially poignant. Disraeli's government was about to lose power; he replied to her - in a very flowery, respectful way, of course, that he was happy to work for her. Lord Rosebery, who held several government offices, reported that Disraeli and Victoria even exchanged trinkets of affection on Valentine's Day; once he sent her a trinket box and she replied with primroses.