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British Local History Quizzes, Trivia and Puzzles
British Local History Quizzes, Trivia

British Local History Trivia

British Local History Trivia Quizzes

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43 quizzes and 602 trivia questions.
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1.
  Winchester Cathedral   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
A look at the history of Winchster Cathedral, Winchester Castle and Winchester itself.
Average, 10 Qns, StarStruck60, Jul 17 14
Average
StarStruck60
3171 plays
2.
  Gloucestershire History   top quiz  
Match Quiz
 10 Qns
From Roman times to recent days, Gloucestershire has a lot of history. See what you know by playing this quiz.
Average, 10 Qns, rossian, Sep 29 18
Average
rossian editor
Sep 29 18
398 plays
3.
  The History of Portsmouth   top quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
The history of the city of Portsmouth on England's south coast dates back over 800 years and is inextricably linked to that of the Royal Navy. Let's see how much you know...
Average, 10 Qns, Fifiona81, Sep 09 16
Average
Fifiona81 editor
440 plays
4.
  Historic Hastings   top quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Every Brit knows about the Battle of Hastings, but the town has also made a few other contributions to British history. This quiz calls for a general knowledge of British history and life rather than a detailed knowledge of Hastings.
Tough, 10 Qns, TabbyTom, Jun 30 11
Tough
TabbyTom gold member
1357 plays
5.
  The Witches of Pendle   best quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
A quiz about the Pendle witches of Lancashire, England.
Tough, 10 Qns, simon_templar, Jun 20 07
Tough
simon_templar
950 plays
6.
  Everything Happens in Yorkshire    
Match Quiz
 10 Qns
Whether it be military, sporting, or cultural history, it all happens in Yorkshire!
Easier, 10 Qns, dellastreet, Dec 30 20
Easier
dellastreet gold member
Dec 30 20
269 plays
7.
  A Brief History of Weymouth and Portland   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 15 Qns
This quiz takes a look at my home town of Weymouth which lies on the sunny southern coast of England. There is more to Weymouth than amusement arcades, sticks of rock and silly hats!
Average, 15 Qns, SisterSeagull, Feb 10 16
Average
SisterSeagull gold member
327 plays
8.
  Greater Manchester - A Municipal County    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Greater Manchester county is comprised of ten metropolitan boroughs. This quiz is about some of those boroughs and the people who were born there.
Average, 10 Qns, bwfc10, May 17 21
Average
bwfc10
May 17 21
178 plays
9.
  Somerset's Place in History    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Somerset is one of the most varied and historic counties in England. This quiz invites you to explore some of that history.
Average, 10 Qns, tartandisco, Oct 13 11
Average
tartandisco
384 plays
10.
  The Rebecca Riots - A Welsh Revolt   top quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Throughout history the Welsh have often been a pretty unruly lot. (Don't write in - I'm of Welsh descent). Find out about the nineteenth century Rebecca Riots which took place in west Wales. What sparked the protests and what did they achieve?
Tough, 10 Qns, Mutchisman, Dec 27 15
Tough
Mutchisman
352 plays
trivia question Quick Question
The annual World Pie Eating Competition has been held each year in which Greater Manchester town?

From Quiz "Greater Manchester - A Municipal County"




11.
  Norwich   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
These questions cover a wide time span and not 'bunched' round any one period. They are about Norwich, England - not any of the other 18 or so places called Norwich in other English-speaking countries.
Tough, 10 Qns, bloomsby, Feb 03 13
Tough
bloomsby gold member
572 plays
12.
  Newcastle upon Tyne    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Ten questions on the history of Newcastle Upon Tyne from the Normans to the 21st century.
Average, 10 Qns, rockydog, Mar 06 14
Average
rockydog
928 plays
13.
  Leeds   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
This quiz is about some of the history of my birthplace, the City of Leeds, West Yorkshire.
Average, 10 Qns, demurechicky, May 08 09
Average
demurechicky gold member
513 plays
14.
  Liverpool First    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
I wanted to prove there's more to my home town than two great football clubs, the Beatles and "a statue exceedingly bare".
Average, 10 Qns, skumma, Oct 19 09
Average
skumma
917 plays
15.
  The Metropolitan Borough of Bolton    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Welcome to a quiz on my hometown of Bolton and its environs.
Tough, 10 Qns, bwfc10, Oct 16 19
Tough
bwfc10
Oct 16 19
188 plays
16.
  The Pendle Witches    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
In a well known court case a group of people from Pendle Forest were tried for witchcraft. An account of the trial was published on the order of the judges and is still available today.
Difficult, 10 Qns, Isipingo, Sep 13 19
Difficult
Isipingo gold member
Sep 13 19
175 plays
17.
  Colchester    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Colchester is a town in East Anglia. It has an interesting history, so I made a quiz on it!
Average, 10 Qns, GreenGal, Jan 09 10
Average
GreenGal
556 plays
18.
  Isle of Wight: Historical Tour   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Here's a look at some of the interesting things that have happened on this small island over the years.
Average, 10 Qns, karlyn2, Jan 01 19
Average
karlyn2
Jan 01 19
455 plays
19.
  Lytham Through the Ages    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
I live in a small town called Lytham St Annes. It's made up of two towns, Lytham and St Annes. Here are a few questions about the town of Lytham. I'll write a separate quiz about St Annes.
Tough, 10 Qns, mikew41, Sep 22 15
Tough
mikew41
338 plays
20.
  Walking with Hartlepudlians    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
The site of my home town of Hartlepool, in North East England, has been settled since the Stone Age. Sinners and saints, kings and knaves have all made their mark since then ...
Tough, 10 Qns, Rowena8482, Apr 04 09
Tough
Rowena8482 gold member
317 plays
21.
  The Pre-Historic Monuments of Britain   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Britain is littered with the remains of prehistoric cultures. Most people will recognise Stonehenge but the story does not end there - come and have a look.
Average, 10 Qns, colpeakbagger, Jun 19 17
Average
colpeakbagger
Jun 19 17
664 plays
22.
  Lancaster Then and Now    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Lancaster, Lancashire is one of the oldest cities in England. All of the questions in this quiz relate to Lancaster in some way.
Tough, 10 Qns, NormanW5, May 16 10
Tough
NormanW5
268 plays
23.
  History of Lincoln, England    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Lincoln is a beautiful city in the English East Midlands. Let's see how much you know about it.
Tough, 10 Qns, lincolnshep, Jul 01 07
Tough
lincolnshep
834 plays
24.
  Southend-on-Sea    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Southend-on-Sea in Essex is a veritable riviera, full of history and fun.
Tough, 10 Qns, booboo11, Feb 15 08
Tough
booboo11
544 plays
25.
  History of Swindon    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
This quiz is about my old home town. If you live there or have anything to do with the town, I hope you find it interesting!
Average, 10 Qns, philipgrae, Mar 29 11
Average
philipgrae
307 plays
26.
  Derby Through the Ages    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
A quiz about Derby through the ages from the Saxons to the 20th century.
Average, 10 Qns, anjo41, Aug 05 08
Average
anjo41
304 plays
27.
  Old Derby and Derbyshire    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
A quiz about Old Derby and Derbyshire.
Average, 10 Qns, anjo41, Nov 04 17
Average
anjo41
Nov 04 17
350 plays
28.
  Victorian Derby    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Victorian Derby is set in and around Derby between 1837 and 1901.
Tough, 10 Qns, anjo41, Jul 25 08
Tough
anjo41
322 plays
29.
  Suburbs of Derby : 2    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
As Derby expanded the population moved out into the suburbs and with it the history of Derby expanded along with it.
Tough, 10 Qns, anjo41, Dec 09 14
Tough
anjo41
291 plays
30.
  Suburbs of Derby    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
As Derby expanded the population moved out into the suburbs and with it the history of Derby expanded along with it.
Average, 10 Qns, anjo41, Aug 01 08
Average
anjo41
324 plays

British Local History Trivia Questions

1. When was the town first recorded as Bolton?

From Quiz
The Metropolitan Borough of Bolton

Answer: 1307

The town was first recorded as Bothelton in 1212, Botelton in 1257, Boulton in 1288 and as its present form as Bolton around 1307. The town names derive from Old English "bothl-ton" meaning "village with buildings". Tarbolton, a village in South Ayrshire, Scotland was recorded as Torbolten in 1138 comparable to the origin of Bolton's Old English meaning.

2. When were the Pendle witches put on trial?

From Quiz The Pendle Witches

Answer: August 1612

The two main families involved had been suspected of witchcraft for many years but there was no proof, only accusations. If a cow died, a barn burned, a child was ill, the local community immediately blamed the witches. It was believed that proof of witchcraft could be obtained by 'swimming' the witches but this was illegal and despite local pressure, the justices refused to obtain proof that way.

3. This is the largest stone circle in Europe, it is so large that the village that gives it its name lies completely within it.

From Quiz The Pre-Historic Monuments of Britain

Answer: Avebury

The stone circle complex at Avebury consists of three stone circles, the largest of which has a diameter of 420 metres. Building started around 3,000 years ago and there were many alterations over the next 2,000 years or so. Avebury lies in a landscape that is covered in prehistoric remains.

4. A little pub in Swindon's Albert Street has a strange name - the Roaring Donkey, which for very many years was actually only its nickname. What was its real name at that time?

From Quiz History of Swindon

Answer: The Rising Sun

Nobody seems to know where the name came from - some say it's because of the roaring drunks that frequented it! Not now though - it's a lovely little pub.

5. A former Bishop of Winchester is associated with a piece of English weather lore. Who was he?

From Quiz Winchester Cathedral

Answer: Saint Swithun

Swithun, whose birth date is not recorded, but who died in 862, was Bishop of Winchester in Anglo-Saxon times, probably from 852 until his death. He asked to be buried outside the Cathedral so that people could walk over his grave and so that the rain fall on it. He was buried in the churchyard, but in 971 when the Cathedral was enlarged, his remains were moved inside. Legend has it that it then rained for 40 days and 40 nights - so, it is said that if it rains on St Swithun's Day (15 July) it will rain for the next 40 days. Stephen Gardiner was Bishop of Winchester during the reign of Mary I. He was the officiating priest at her marriage to Philip of Spain. William of Wykeham, in addition to being Bishop of Winchester from 1366-1404, also founded Winchester College, and New College, Oxford. He was Chancellor or England and was involved in the rebuilding of Windsor Castle. Samuel Wilberforce was Bishop of Winchester from 1870-73. He is best known for his opposition to Darwin's Theory of Evolution, but he was also Chaplain to Prince Albert, Bishop of Oxford and a Dean of Westminster.

6. How was the town of Lancaster created?

From Quiz Lancaster Then and Now

Answer: Sometime around 80 CE a market town grew up around a Roman fort.

The town was not originally called Lancaster. The Celts had called the local river "Lune" (clean); the Saxons called groups of Roman buildings a "ceaster," and renamed the Roman fort "Lune Ceaster". Lune Caster became Loncastre (in the Domesday Book) and then Lancaster.

7. Liverpool was just a small, impoverished trading port until 1715 when engineer Thomas Steers founded the city's fortunes by designing the world's first what?

From Quiz Liverpool First

Answer: Commercial wet dock

A dry dock keeps the water level constant by separating the dock from the tidal river. The dock was unique both in its design and how it was used. There was the Howland Great Wet Dock at Rotherhithe in London, which had been built earlier, but it was only a temporary area for vessels to wait unloading. Liverpool's dock was unique because the vessels could be loaded and unloaded at the dockside itself, thus speeding up the process. Known as "The Old Dock", the Liverpool Corporation mortgaged all its land and property to finance the project. With spectacular results for the city's future finances. (Info from Channel 4/Time Team)if you want to know more, including the archaeological excavations to recover the old dock walls.

8. Colchester started off as a group of settlements, covering about 12 square miles in all. It was the centre for a local tribe, the Trinovantes. What race of people were the Trinovantes? Hint: this was before the Romans invaded.

From Quiz Colchester

Answer: Celtic

The Trinovantes were Celtic, and probably the most powerful tribe in Britain at that time. Their name means 'the vigourous people' and they occupied Essex and about half of Suffolk.

9. In the year 1086, Leeds was recorded in the Domesday book. What was the population recorded as

From Quiz Leeds

Answer: About 200

In the Domesday book, Leeds was referred to as 'Ledes'. In 1086, it was recorded that 'Ledes' had a priest, a church and a mill.

10. Hartlepool Bay is home to a "Site of Special Scientific Interest" where the Mesolithic landscape was preserved underwater as the North Sea was formed, around 8,000 BC. Which type of land was preserved as the sea levels rose?

From Quiz Walking with Hartlepudlians

Answer: Forest and peat bog

The Hartlepool Submerged Forest is one of the largest areas of preserved ancient forest and peat bog known. Some of the area is exposed at each low tide, while other preserved, fossilised tree stumps are only visible every few years when weather conditions and tides are just right. A two metre length of wattle fencing panel excavated in the 1980s was radiocarbon dated to around 3,600 BC.

11. By the end of the 19th century how many churches were there in Derby?

From Quiz Old Derby and Derbyshire

Answer: 86

And this wasn't counting the Salvation Army, Christadelphians and Plymouth Brethren.

12. In Saxon times a farm in Derby belonged to Bola. This was to become which suburb?

From Quiz Suburbs of Derby : 2

Answer: Bolton

Bolton first appears in the Domesday Book in 1086. The church is of Norman origin, which suggests it existed the 12th century. In the 20th century it joined with the parish of Alvaston.

13. There is a suburb of Derby named after an American state. Which one?

From Quiz Suburbs of Derby

Answer: California

It's reasonable to assume the name has some association with the Californian gold rush of 1849 but the history of this area of Derby doesn't tell us why. It's situated roughly between Mackworth and Rowditch.

14. Although it has never been proven, rumour has it that there was once a castle in Derby, but where?

From Quiz Derby Through the Ages

Answer: Cockpit Hill

The Saxon Chronicle tells us that the Danes once built a castle and that it was stormed and taken over by Ethelfleda c. 945. It is likely that it would have been made out of timber rather than stone which would explain why no trace of it has been found.

15. Who, in 1867, donated land in Derby to enable establishment of the Recreation Ground and Open Air Swimming Pool for use by the people of Derby?

From Quiz Victorian Derby

Answer: Thomas Bass

Thomas Bass presented the land to the people of Derby and it subsequently became known as 'The Bass Rec', and has been in use ever since.

16. In which English county is Lytham?

From Quiz Lytham Through the Ages

Answer: Lancashire

Lancashire is in the North West of England and is known as the Red Rose County. It encompassed Liverpool and parts of Greater Manchester until boundary reorganisations in 1974. Currently its population is 1.4 million. The county town is Preston which was made a city in the Queens Golden Jubilee year (2002).

17. The thirteen Pendle witches of Lancashire became notorious following their trial. In what year was this trial conducted?

From Quiz The Witches of Pendle

Answer: 1612

The trial of eleven of the witches commenced on Tuesday, 18th August 1612. It lasted just two days and on the third day all but one were were executed. The trial was annotated in writing by Clerk of the Court Thomas Potts. The other trial was in York and is commented upon in other "interesting facts" notes.

18. There is no evidence of a town on the site of Hastings before Saxon times, but the Romans were active in the area. What natural resource attracted the Romans?

From Quiz Historic Hastings

Answer: iron

The Weald of Sussex, a range of wooded sandstone hills which reaches the sea at Hastings, was an important source of iron in earlier times, since it had the ore and also plenty of timber which provided charcoal to smelt it. With the development of coke-fuelled furnaces in the Industrial Revolution, iron production in England moved to the Midlands and the North . At Hastings, the remains of Roman iron workings have been uncovered at Beauport Park on the north-western edge of the town.

19. When was the very first castle built on the Tyne, that gave the township of Newcastle its name?

From Quiz Newcastle upon Tyne

Answer: 1080

1080 - The Normans first built a wooden fort, a 'motte and bailey' castle at the lowest place where the Tyne could easily be crossed to safeguard the bridge. A small town then grew up around the castle resulting in the name of Newcastle. (How original!)

20. When, is it generally thought, that the Romans conquered the area now known as Lincolnshire?

From Quiz History of Lincoln, England

Answer: AD 48

The Romans first built a garrison to guard the northern extremes of the empire. They later built a walled town to house demobbed soldiers.

21. Samuel Crompton, a pioneer of the spinning industry was born in which metropolitan borough?

From Quiz Greater Manchester - A Municipal County

Answer: Bolton

Samuel Crompton (1753-1827) was the inventor of the spinning mule, which permitted large-scale manufacture of high-quality thread and yarn which revolutionized the cotton industry. It was an improvement on the spinning jenny invented by James Hargreaves. Unfortunately, he died in poverty and is buried in St. Peters Church (Bolton Parish Church) in the center of Bolton.

22. In 1651, the Earl of Derby was beheaded outside which Bolton town center pub?

From Quiz The Metropolitan Borough of Bolton

Answer: Ye Olde Man & Scythe Inn

James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby (1607 - 1651) was beheaded for his part in the Bolton Massacre, part of the Civil War, which occurred in 1644. The Man & Scythe Inn was owned by his family at that time. The earliest recorded mention of its name is in a charter from 1251, making it one of the ten oldest public houses in Britain and the oldest in Bolton.

23. What was the name of the book written by James I which instructed judges and justices of the peace how to deal with witchcraft?

From Quiz The Pendle Witches

Answer: Daemonologie

James I travelled to Denmark to marry Anne of Denmark. The Danish people were terrified of witches. On the way back to England, there was a great storm which James believed was caused by the North Berwick Witches who were immediately put on trial. James attended their trial and wrote the Daemonologie afterwards.

24. Portsmouth gained its first official recognition in 1194 when it was granted permission to dispense justice locally and hold both a weekly market and an annual fair by King Richard I. What means did the king use for this?

From Quiz The History of Portsmouth

Answer: A Royal Charter

In addition to the market, fair and court, Portsmouth's first Royal Charter also granted its inhabitants exemption from certain national taxation to allow the money to be used to improve local facilities. Although the text of the charter is known, the actual document itself has been lost over the centuries. In 1994 the city hosted a special celebration of its 800 years of history to mark the anniversary of the granting of this charter. Portsmouth was later granted additional Royal Charters by King John in 1200 (which confirmed the rights previously granted by his late brother) and King Edward II in 1313 - the latter document is the oldest surviving Royal Charter to Portsmouth The Order of the Garter is a chivalric order established by King Edward III in 1348; Royal Assent is the process by which the monarch approves an Act of Parliament.

25. This body of water is situated just to the north of Weymouth's inner harbour. What leisure activity can be pursued within the environs of Radipole Lake?

From Quiz A Brief History of Weymouth and Portland

Answer: Bird watching

Often referred to locally as the 'Backwater', the freshwater Radipole Lake is separated from Weymouth's harbour by a bridge and a series of sluice gates and, unusually for a nature reserve, it is virtually located in the centre of the town. Between the 1950s and the early 1980s, the lake and its surroundings provided a number of popular leisure facilities; these included a fairground, pleasure boats and pedaloes, all now sadly gone. The nature reserve itself is administered by the RSPB, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, and Radipole Lake is home to a wide range of both resident and migratory birds such as the Heron, Shelduck, Canada Goose and at least two species of Swan. Rarer visitors such as the Bittern and some of the more uncommon species of Warblers and Buntings can also be seen within the reserve.

26. Where in Somerset is there a prehistoric stone circle that is the second largest of its type in the UK?

From Quiz Somerset's Place in History

Answer: Stanton Drew

The Stanton Drew Henge, a few miles south of Bristol, is 113 metres in diameter, has 27 stones still standing out of the original 30, and is second in size only to Avebury, in neighbouring Wiltshire. Recent geophysical surveys have revealed 9 concentric rings of post-holes (over 400 in all) inside the circle. This has prompted a major rethink about Stanton Drew's prehistoric importance. The Sweet Track is a 5,000 year old wooden causeway found in the Somerset Levels. It is claimed to be the oldest road in the world. Priddy is a village in the Mendip Hills where there is an alignment of ditch-and-bank enclosures roughly contemporary with Stonehenge. Near to Priddy is Maesbury, one of the UK's best-preserved Iron Age hill-forts.

27. The most iconic image of Stonehenge is the large stones with another stone laid across the top like a lintel. What name is given to these structures?

From Quiz The Pre-Historic Monuments of Britain

Answer: Trilithons

'Tri' - meaning 'three' and 'lith' meaning stones. Like Avebury, Stonehenge was adapted and altered over the millenia. One of the most interesting features are the small "blue stones" which came all the way from South West Wales.

28. Albert Street is in a small area called "Little London." What was this area known for in the 1800's?

From Quiz History of Swindon

Answer: A red light district

In its day, it was said that in Little London "any vice may be witnessed or indulged in." Changed quite a bit now, though!

29. What is the name of the underwater diver credited with saving the cathedral from collapse in the early 1900s?

From Quiz Winchester Cathedral

Answer: William Walker

Winchester Cathedral is surrounded by water meadows and a floodplain. In the early 1900s waterlogged foundations to the south and east walls meant that the whole building was in grave danger of collapse. William Walker worked underwater, at depths of up to twenty feet, in the dark, for six hours a day for six years (1906 to 1912) packing the foundations with bags of concrete, concrete blocks and bricks. His work is credited with saving the cathedral. A bust of him in the crypt, which still floods, commemorates his work.

30. The Normans built a castle on the site of the old Roman fortress at Lancaster in the 12th century, and the town received its first charter in 1193. That quickly changed the purpose of the castle, which became what?

From Quiz Lancaster Then and Now

Answer: a prison

This was, of course, long before charters gave townspeople any part of self-governance. The 1193 charter gave the townspeople the right to hold a weekly market, and permission to hold a "fair" (a big market drawing merchants and customers from a distance) annually. Lancaster University was not established until 1964!

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