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Old Vine Trilogy Quizzes, Trivia and Puzzles

Old Vine Trilogy Trivia

Old Vine Trilogy Trivia Quizzes

Also known simply as 'The House Trilogy' and 'The Suffolk Trilogy', these three books follow events in a house from when it was first built in the late fourteenth century until the time they were written, in the middle of the twentieth century.

15 quizzes and 155 trivia questions.

'The Town House' (3) - Anne Blanchefleur's Tale popular trivia quiz

Multiple Choice

10 Qns

Anne's mother called her kinsman 'Uncle Bowdegrave' and spoke of his estate in Kent - Abhurst. This connects Martin's daughter-in-law to his old feudal lord, from whom he escaped with his first wife when he was a young man. Equality for the serf?

Average, 10 Qns, ArleneRimmer, Dec 20 06

Average
ArleneRimmer
163 plays

'The Town House' (2) - Old Agnes's Tale popular trivia quiz

Multiple Choice

10 Qns

Old Agnes had known Martin and Kate before the uprising against the Abbey, and went with him when he built his house at the Old Vine. This is her story.

Average, 10 Qns, ArleneRimmer, May 04 04

Average
ArleneRimmer
186 plays

'The House at Sunset' (2) Hatton's & Lydia's Tales popular trivia quiz

Multiple Choice

10 Qns

Hatton and his twin sister were left with Aunt Dorothea when their mother died three weeks after their birth; Lydia was the daughter of the family who bought The Old Vine from Hatton when they left the country.

Average, 10 Qns, ArleneRimmer, Nov 17 05

Average
ArleneRimmer
145 plays

'The Town House' (4) - Maude Reed's Tale popular trivia quiz

Multiple Choice

10 Qns

Martin's granddaughter was sent away from home by her mother, who disliked her intently. Forced to fend for herself even in the crowded community at Beauclaire, she emerged as formidable as her grandfather ever was.

Average, 10 Qns, ArleneRimmer, May 04 04

Average
ArleneRimmer
184 plays

'The House at Sunset' (3) David's & Mary's Tales

Multiple Choice

10 Qns

Both David Armstrong and Mary Crisp lived in the centre unit of the Old Vine; David in mid-Victorian times, and Mary in the early 20th Century.

Average, 10 Qns, ArleneRimmer, Nov 19 05

Average
ArleneRimmer
138 plays

'The House at Sunset' (1) - Felicity's Tale

Multiple Choice

10 Qns

'At the age of seven I was a skilful pickpocket. I could also sew neatly, write a tolerable hand and make a curtsey...'

Average, 10 Qns, ArleneRimmer, Nov 16 05

Average
ArleneRimmer
159 plays

'The House at Old Vine' (5) - Ethelreda's Tale

Multiple Choice

10 Qns

When Ethelreda was fifteen she left her home in the Fens and by a series of mini-adventures ended up at the Old Vine, which was then a school for boys. This is her tale.

Average, 10 Qns, ArleneRimmer, Jun 01 04

Average
ArleneRimmer
135 plays

'The Town House' (1) - Martin Reed's Tale

Multiple Choice

15 Qns

What was it like to be a serf? The first book in the 'Old Vine' trilogy goes some way to describe it.

Average, 15 Qns, ArleneRimmer, May 04 04

Average
ArleneRimmer
192 plays

'The House at Old Vine' (3) - Barbara's Tale

Multiple Choice

10 Qns

Barbara's tale starts with an echo of Anne Blanchefleur, but ends very differently as Barbara was a stronger character altogether.

Average, 10 Qns, ArleneRimmer, May 04 04

Average
ArleneRimmer
150 plays

10.

'The House Sunset' (4) Jonathan's & Frances' Tales

Multiple Choice

10 Qns

These two stories bring the story of the Old Vine to its conclusion. In 1955 Jonathan Roper came to Baildon and slapped a demolition order on the building, and soon after Frances Benyon came to look at it with a view to buy.

Average, 10 Qns, ArleneRimmer, Dec 05 05

Average
ArleneRimmer
163 plays

Quick Question

How much money did Miss Walker claim to have saved in order to buy back the Old Vine?

From Quiz "'The House at Sunset' (3) David's & Mary's Tales"

11.

'The House at Old Vine' (2) - Elizabeth's Tale

Multiple Choice

10 Qns

Elizabeth was Josiana's great-great granddaughter, and her tale speaks of the religious intolerance of the Elizabethan era - but what possible part could an eight year old have to play in that?

Average, 10 Qns, ArleneRimmer, Apr 19 04

Average
ArleneRimmer
148 plays

12.

'The Town House' (5) - Nicholas Freeman's Tale

Multiple Choice

10 Qns

Nicholas Freeman went to the Old Vine to be a Tutor. Although he only stayed there for a short time, his position was such that he is able to tell the story of what happened when Maude returned from Beauclaire at the age of twelve.

Average, 10 Qns, ArleneRimmer, Jan 10 21

Average
ArleneRimmer
Jan 10 21
159 plays

13.

'The House at Old Vine' (1) - Josiana's Tale

Multiple Choice

10 Qns

Josiana Greenwood grew up as the despised granddaughter on a small farm, the product of a liaison between her mother and an un-named man, and the reason her grandfather was unable to enlarge his territory.

Average, 10 Qns, ArleneRimmer, Jan 10 21

Average
ArleneRimmer
Jan 10 21
150 plays

14.

'The House at Old Vine' (4) - Antony's Tale

Multiple Choice

10 Qns

When the Civil War broke out I was thirty-four years old, which is somewhat too late to go soldiering for the first time, unless you are fired with great enthusiasm for a cause.

Tough, 10 Qns, ArleneRimmer, May 04 04

Tough
ArleneRimmer
146 plays

15.

'The House at Old Vine' (6) - Oliver's Tale

Multiple Choice

10 Qns

Oliver Stanton was a pupil at the Old Vine School and returned as a teacher. This is his story.

Average, 10 Qns, ArleneRimmer, Nov 15 05

Average
ArleneRimmer
133 plays

Old Vine Trilogy Trivia Questions

1. Where did David first see Miss Walker?

From Quiz 'The House at Sunset' (3) David's & Mary's Tales

Answer: in the chapel

David's father was a lay preacher who took the gospel message literally, and when he saw Lydia Walker in chapel looking cold and starved, he made up a parcel of food for David to take around to her house. He was not to know what path this act of charity he was placing his son's feet upon!

2. When they were twelve, Hatton was sent away to school - but where did he go?

From Quiz 'The House at Sunset' (2) Hatton's & Lydia's Tales

Answer: Harrow

'I think Mother's cousin, Chris Hatton, who had inherited Mortiboys, chose my school' he'd been happy there himself, though he'd learned very little, being incorrigibly stupid. Life itself couldn't teach Cousin Chris anything.' Hatton had a miserable time for the first three weeks, then settled in well and enjoyed himself.

3. Felicity was equally at home in the reeking streets about Aldermanbury Postern and the drawing rooms of St Albans Street because her father swung between ruin and prosperity throughout her childhood. What was his profession?

From Quiz 'The House at Sunset' (1) - Felicity's Tale

Answer: he was a gambler

At the very beginning of her story, Felicity tells us that her father was sent on an errand when seventeen, lost the money in a card game, sold his clothes and won it back with interest. Sending the original money back with a message that he was not returning home, he went off to London to pursue his new career.

4. Barbara Hatton was the youngest daughter of the family, and it seemed as if she would remain unmarried forever. Why?

From Quiz 'The House at Old Vine' (3) - Barbara's Tale

Answer: the sister immediately older than her was badly pocked and their mother believed that the elder should marry before the younger

"I had four elder sisters and my mother stuck stubbornly to the old-fashioned notion that marriage should go by seniority. The sister ahead of me, poor Avice, had come badly out of the smallpox; her eyelids had thickened, which gave her a crafty look, most ill-deserved, for she was the soul of simplicity. She was twenty-one and un-bespoken, I was eighteen and getting frightened."

5. What colour were the beads which were highly regarded by both the child Elizabeth, and the grown woman she was to become?

From Quiz 'The House at Old Vine' (2) - Elizabeth's Tale

Answer: blue

They were given to her on her eighth birthday by her grandfather, who was Josiana's grandson. He was a secret Papist in Elizabethan England, and the beads were a present to his beloved granddaughter - blue being 'Mary's own colour'. Elizabeth's view of her mother's attitude towards her is first shown here:

The beads stayed round my neck and were a comfort to me later in the day when Mother gave me one of her talks. It was so like her. In the morning I was eight, too young to be trusted with a string of beads; in the afternoon I was a 'great girl of eight', and it was time I mended my ways, became responsible, sensible and helpful. In future I was to spend more time learning to cook and to sew and tending Harry and Arthur. What a dismal outlook. But for the beads I should have wished to be seven again.

6. What job had Nicholas been working towards before he came to the Old Vine?

From Quiz 'The Town House' (5) - Nicholas Freeman's Tale

Answer: the priesthood

He was to go on to become a Cardinal, after returning to the Church after realising that he was not going to marry Maude and settle at the Old Vine. On the occasion that Maude had been lost in the Maze at Beauclaire, she had seen Nicholas' face in the Rune Stone in the centre, and he had been dressed in Cardinal's garb.

7. Maude was able to ride her pony, Browny, to Beauclaire. As she said, they 'were more like twins than we were, both with brown hair and paler manes and tails.' What was Walter's pony called?

From Quiz 'The Town House' (4) - Maude Reed's Tale

Answer: Robin Hood

Maude and Walter were born in 1435 (a date stamp is given at the beginning of Nicholas Freeman's Tale in the same book), so it is safe to assume that at least two of the options here would not be likely as they are names from more recent tales. Robin Hood, however, has been a legend in the UK for many centuries, and although we may like to think it is rooted in truth, no real evidence has been found to show that it is.

8. What was the name of the house where Anne lived with her parents?

From Quiz 'The Town House' (3) - Anne Blanchefleur's Tale

Answer: Minsham Old Hall

Minsham Old Hall was originally built for defence, and was cold and damp. It was indirectly through this that Anne was to lose her mother as the story goes on, but for the beginning of the story, we see her mother hopping onto a stool to look out of the highly-set narrow gaps which served for windows (unglazed) in the building, to see Martin Reed arrive.

9. Who was to tell Martin Reed that his wife and sons had died when their little make-shift hut burned on the night of the uprising?

From Quiz 'The Town House' (2) - Old Agnes's Tale

Answer: Old Agnes

They were all dancing when Martin returned from the Abbey; because they thought that Martin had perished along with his family, their grief was short-lived as there was no one left who was close to the dead. When Martin came, the first thing he saw was the burnt-out shell of his home, but the dancing and music of Pert Tom's whistle gave him hope. It was Agnes saying 'Holy Mother of God! We thought you was dead, too.' that told Martin that his family had gone.

"Old Agnes moved towards him and took him by the arm. She was suddenly sober and aware of how callous their behaviour must seem to him. 'Flared up in the night, your place did. But we thought you was dead too...She...Kate was running around, hunting for you and crying. And with all gone together there didn't seem much to grieve about.'"

10. "Few born serfs, like me, could tell you their birthdate, but I was born in that memorable year of 1381," - so says Walter, the smith's son, to open this story. What was so memorable about 1381?

From Quiz 'The Town House' (1) - Martin Reed's Tale

Answer: the serfs rose up against their masters

According to the opening paragraph of the book, men from Kent actually marched to London to speak to the King, and were fooled by promises; freedom was not to come for a long time, "So, when I was born in the autumn of that year, I was born a serf, as much the property of my Lord Bowdegrave as the horse he rode, and of less value; for his horse had an Arab strain, far more rare and precious than my Saxon peasant blood."

11. At least thirty people lived in the Old Vine at the time of Jonathan's three visits, but which named people did not live in the building?

From Quiz 'The House Sunset' (4) Jonathan's & Frances' Tales

Answer: Cliff Ficking and Miss Barstew

We do not know the exact number who lived in the Old Vine - 30 are numbered along with Miss Barstew in the summerhouse, but whether the couple in junk shop had children or not is not mentioned. Their accommodation had three bedrooms, so I would surmise that they had two children although there may have been more. These people make up eight units (although ten are sub-tenants) and only two live alone. The café proprietor, Cliff Ficking, does not live on the premises; the rooms above his cafe are rented out as three different units, two of which were rented by Mrs Woody and Miss Cattermole.

12. When David went around to Miss Walker's house to give her his father's gift he met up with Mike Saunders, who had been at the same school as him. Mike was living in the ground floor rooms of Miss Walker's house, but with whom?

From Quiz 'The House at Sunset' (3) David's & Mary's Tales

Answer: his wife and child

Mike was forced to marry Millie when she was pregnant, although there was doubt as to whether he was responsible for her condition. The child is never named, but we do learn that the child is a girl at the close of David's story. We also learn that Millie was not a good housewife and Mike came to hate her more and more each day.

13. What was the first thing Oliver noticed when he arrived at the Old Vine?

From Quiz 'The House at Old Vine' (6) - Oliver's Tale

Answer: that the building was shabby and rundown

Oliver could not quite work out if the building had always been in this state of disrepair, or whether it was because he had grown accustomed to the perfect condition of his father's property. The other statements were also true of the school at this time, but it was the condition of the building which was first noticed.

14. Elizabeth shared a bedroom with one of the maids in the older part of the house, but what was her name?

From Quiz 'The House at Old Vine' (2) - Elizabeth's Tale

Answer: Betty

Betty is to feature in the book through the next tale as well as this one - when Barbara came to the Old Vine Betty was still one of the servants in the house, and totally devoted to Madam Elizabeth.

15. In what circumstances did Martin Reed first make the acquaintance of the Blanchefleur family?

From Quiz 'The Town House' (3) - Anne Blanchefleur's Tale

Answer: he needed a fire to heat some tar for his sheep and their house was closest

"Mother, of course, had been obliging, and while the tar warmed and he stirred it, she had stood by him talking about sheep. She'd learned quite a lot about sheep when she was staying with her Uncle Bowdegrave at Abhurst in Kent, where the sheep were quite different from those in Suffolk, she said. Stirring away at his tar, Master Reed shot her a look and said, 'That's right, ma'am; shorter legs and blunter heads.'" I wonder how Martin felt when Anne's mother claimed kinship to the man who had been his feudal lord when he was younger, and from whom he 'stole' himself and Kate after they had been refused permission to marry.

16. Walter fell in love with another serf, Kate, and according to custom, required permission from his Lord in order to marry. Lord Bowdegrave was to see the couple and pronounce his verdict. What was it?

From Quiz 'The Town House' (1) - Martin Reed's Tale

Answer: that Kate was too puny to be a smith's wife

Walter's main worry was the old custom of jus primae noctis which gave the lord of the manor the right to take a bride's maidenhood. In preparation for the possibility, Walter did it first, to save his love any pain, and suggested that Kate not beautify herself for the meeting. Lord Bowdegrave decreed that such a delicate specimen would not breed strong sons to become smiths, and pronounced instead that Kate move to his other manor at Abhurst.

17. The Old Vine was just one property owned by a private letting company who seemed to specialise in slum properties, and whose share-holders apparently lived all over the area. What was the name of the company?

From Quiz 'The House Sunset' (4) Jonathan's & Frances' Tales

Answer: Baildon Property Company

There was an organisation called the 'Reed Charity' which provided almshouses and 'goodies for old folks at Christmas'; this could well date from the original Old Vine family. But it was the Baildon Property Company that owned, among other properties, the Old Vine, Alma Court, Mafeking Terrace, Priory Close and Goose Lane, and charged exorbitant rents for pokey and sub-standard accommodation. As the council Housing Officer told Jonathan, it was a gold mine.

18. When it was agreed that Oliver would become a teacher, what wage was agreed upon for the work?

From Quiz 'The House at Old Vine' (6) - Oliver's Tale

Answer: his keep

When Oliver and Mr Flowerdew were talking about the money, it seems as if £10 a year was the going rate, for Mr Flowerdew said, "I'd employ you myself if I could afford ten pounds a year, but I can't. I don't make ends meet as it is.' Oliver eventually offered to stay until Christmas for his keep alone, and a testimonial (reference) at the end of that time, saying, "Perhaps God did send me, sir." Mr Flowerdew replied, "The Devil more like. Just to see how low I could fall."

19. Barbara was to marry Madam Elizabeth's nephew and move to the Old Vine, where she found her husband John to be an accomplished lover. After just three days, however, the idyll was to end as a spanner was deliberately thrown in the works by - whom?

From Quiz 'The House at Old Vine' (3) - Barbara's Tale

Answer: Madam Elizabeth

Summoned to help Madam Elizabeth with her hair, Barbara was told about John's paramour, Emma Webster, and how she shared a broad physical resemblance to that woman. Unable to restrain her curiosity, Barbara went to the Hawk in Hand to see her for herself, and thereafter was unable to respond in the same way to John's physical advances. Without the background of friendship, their marriage became stale and was not to revive in any way until it was almost too late.

20. Although Walter could write with a fine hand (indeed, Maude envied his penmanship and asked Nicholas to teach her how to write well), he refused point blank to learn one thing which his tutor was required to teach him. What was this?

From Quiz 'The Town House' (5) - Nicholas Freeman's Tale

Answer: reckoning (maths)

Walter was determined not to become a woolmaster as his father was, so refused to learn how to reckon. Nicholas says how, when he left home, he was unable to do more than count on his fingers. He was a gifted lute player and, like his grandmother Magda before him, wanted to travel the country and make magic with his music.

21. Who was the first person to show any kindness to Maude at Beauclaire?

From Quiz 'The Town House' (4) - Maude Reed's Tale

Answer: Melusine

The servant had just left Maude at a door, and she met first with Melusine, who took her to the toilet. She then delivered her to Dame Margaret, who left her to her own devices and it was some hours before she was finally delivered to Dame Margery and the Children's Dorter.

"All my misery was the result of having been sent to the wrong doorway."

22. When Agnes prayed for Martin to find another wife, she went into Pert Tom's room to kneel before the little statuette which Pert Tom considered to be an image of his favourite saint. Which saint was this?

From Quiz 'The Town House' (2) - Old Agnes's Tale

Answer: St Ursula

He had been told that St Ursula was the patron saint of bears and bear-keepers, and had envisioned her as a buxom woman who understood the needs of the travelling man. The image-seller could not bring himself to make any other than a slender virgin saint with yellow hair (taken from his granddaughter's head), but as this customer had paid part down, he added a bear at her side. Old Agnes was not fooled. The image was wearing blue and the bear signified that 'even a savage bear could be tame in her presence'. It was the Virgin Mary. Later, seeing what Martin actually got for a wife, she changed her mind and thought that it was St Ursula after all, and she had been upset to have been called by a different name!

23. How much money did Walter take from the hoard he and his father had hidden in the earth under the bed?

From Quiz 'The Town House' (1) - Martin Reed's Tale

Answer: twenty-one pence

Three geese had been bought for the bride-price, at two pence each, and an argument ensued over the way to fairly divide the remaining money as the geese were to be left with Walter's father. However, as Walter left, he remembered how he was leaving his father to an uncertain old age without a working son, and how he had been taught his trade, so he forgave him the unfair sharing of the money.

24. How much money did Miss Walker claim to have saved in order to buy back the Old Vine?

From Quiz 'The House at Sunset' (3) David's & Mary's Tales

Answer: £4,000

Her father had sold the building for that amount of money when she was a young lady, and she had been frantically trying to recoup that amount in order to buy the Old Vine back and restore it to the condition it had been in when her family bought it from Hatton Follett.

25. What happened to Felicity's father when he went to avenge what had been done to her?

From Quiz 'The House at Sunset' (1) - Felicity's Tale

Answer: he was shot through the heart

While out delivering washing, Felicity had been attacked by a boy to tried to steal the clothing she carried. The gentleman who came to her aid seemed nice enough, but she was to learn differently, and only just escaped from him. Her father was at home when she got back and heard the whole tale before Felicity had a chance to compose herself or think up a plausible counter-story, and he went off to seek justice on that man. It was some time before they learned that he had called the man out in a duel and was shot through the heart.

26. What punishment did Mr Flowerdew suggest that Oliver use to keep order among the boys?

From Quiz 'The House at Old Vine' (6) - Oliver's Tale

Answer: losing a turn at washing up

Because Ethelreda was the only member of household staff left, and the food had become sparse and bland because of lack of money, in spite of Ethelreda's daily 'miracle of the loaves and fishes' (as Mr Flowerdew put it), they had put a rota in place to help with the washing up, and the boys on that duty were permitted to dip into the pickle barrel afterwards. When Oliver used this punishment he took over the job for a few days, and found that he was craving the pickle himself, and could understand why the withdrawal of this chore was such a hardship to the boys.

27. It was when Bellson sent Antony to Baildon that he came to the Old Vine and met Barbara Kentwoode. The house, by this time, was an inn, but of a superior sort. When was he to meet Madam Elizabeth?

From Quiz 'The House at Old Vine' (4) - Antony's Tale

Answer: he was not to meet her - she was dead by this time

Barbara's son was away fighting with the King at this time, and she ran the inn by herself with help from hired hands. It was more of a home than an inn - "The Old Vine was a magnificently appointed house in which only the most necessary concessions had been made to fit its present purpose. Two large mats of woven rushes lay end to end inside the door, beyond them was the shining floor of the ordinary well-kept house; there was none of the dirty sawdust or sand or chopped straw of the average inn."

28. Josiana escaped the farm and ran off to safety, but where did her mother take her?

From Quiz 'The House at Old Vine' (1) - Josiana's Tale

Answer: Clevely

It was while she was with the nuns at the poor House at Clevely that Josiana met Walter and they fell in love. Her mother said that she wanted to take her to the Old Vine, but it was too far away to make this a viable option, as she did not want to be associated with Josiana's disappearance.

29. Wanting to ease the hardship under which Maude was living at Clevely, Martin asked Nicholas about the possibility of giving the nuns some sheep. He suggested three dozen, or fifty, but how many sheep did Nicholas tell him the convent had before?

From Quiz 'The Town House' (5) - Nicholas Freeman's Tale

Answer: eight

"'It wouldn't benefit Maude in any way, sir. The sick poor might fatten. And you'd be putting the gyves on Maude tighter than ever. Once make Maude a supply line between you and Clevely and next time you see her she'll be in novice garb. I know my monks, and nuns differ from them only in ways that have no effect on greed.'"

30. Martin fished Magda out of the river, but why was she in there?

From Quiz 'The Town House' (2) - Old Agnes's Tale

Answer: she was being swum for a witch

Old Agnes took an instant dislike to Magda and was averse to touching her, or anything that had been used by her. When she learnt that Magda was unable to sew or cook (except a hedgehog) she was disgusted, but also pleased because it meant that the younger woman would be unlikely to contaminate her kitchen.

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