Tamzin Grey and Friends Trivia Quiz

Answer: Cascade

Cascade is Tamzin's pony for most of the books in the Romney Marsh series. He is a well-drawn pony with a real character, but he usually doesn't play a central role in the books. Tamzin enjoys riding just as she enjoys swimming and camping. Tinkle is one of the ponies used for lookering (shepherding) at Castle Farm, Siani belongs a a friend of Tamzin's and Sula appears in the Punchbowl Farm series.

Answer: He is her cousin.

Roger is the fourth member of the Romney Marsh quartet. He is milder person than any of the other three, and lives some distance away. He is usually present only for adventures that happen in the longer holidays. He and Meryon are good friends, although Meryon is rather older.

Answer: He was a pirate.

Unlikely though it might seem, Meryon's ancestor was a pirate. Meryon mentions that his parents had once considered naming him after this character!

Answer: Tonkin Fairbrass.

Perhaps we should describe Meryon's ancestor as notorious rather than famous, but there was no question in Meryon's mind that Tonkin Fairbrass, though lawless, was brave. Tamzin sometimes thinks she sees traces of old Tonkin in Meryon's quickwittedness.

Answer: John Purcell

Tamzin was friends with most of the fishermen who lived and worked in her village. She either asked for or offered them help on several occasions. Some of these projects were perfectly lawful, but others were not. Jim Decks is the ferryman, and a special friend of Tamzin. Snowy and Walter are both friends as well. John Purcell doesn't appear in the books at all.

Answer: The Dolphin.

Thunderer was an old fishing smack owned by Jim Decks. In "Summer of the Great Secret", one of the early Romney Marsh stories, Thunderer was a rotting hulk, but later in the series it was restored and sailed again. Tamzin was quite at home and quite welcome on most of the Westling boats, although she was seasick on long voyages.

Answer: Fallada

Tamzin always hoped to name her pony Fallada when she got him. However, Cascade already had a name. For some time Tamzin would insist his name was "really Fallada", but she called him "Cascade" for his sake and for the sake of his former owner.

Answer: Lesley Frampton.

Lesley Frampton had fallen from Cascade and hurt her back, and when Tamzin met her she was confined to a wheelchair. The doctors said she would be able to walk if she had the right impetus, but she couldn't find it until Cascade was threatened while she was visiting Tamzin. When she saw him in danger, she managed not only to walk, but to run!

Answer: A mouth organ.

Roger's mouth organ appeared quite often in the series. He played it to great effect in "The Nightbird", and later played a tune called "Down in the Forest Something Stirred" during a visit to Punchbowl Farm.

Answer: "Cargo of Horses" during a bungled rescue of horses from a slaughter ship.

Roger's mouth organ wasn't the only casualty during this adventure. Rissa broke her leg and Roger himself hurt his ankle. Tamzin searched for his mouth organ, and when she couldn't find it, she bought him a new one.

Answer: Their father, Richard Grey.

Dick, Diccon and Dickie have all been used as short forms or pet names for the name Richard. These days, Richie, Rick or Rich are more usual. It seems most likely that Diccon was named after his father, and called by a pet name to distinguish the two.

Answer: Siani. She is chestnut.

Rissa's pony, Siani, has a rather wild nature, and is never as well schooled or well mannered as Tamzin's Cascade. Rissa actually prefers her that way, as she hopes to work with difficult horses when she leaves school.

Answer: Bay.

Diccon's pony, Banner, is small and cheeky. Tamzin rescues him from an uncaring owner, delouses him and feeds him up as a present for Diccon. She earns the price the owner sets on Banner by collecting junk.

Answer: A riding school pony in "Wish for a Pony".

Sea Pie is a pony belonging to the riding school in "Wish for a Pony". Tamzin and Rissa ride Sea Pie and another pony called Cobweb before they have ponies of their own.

Answer: Hecate.

The Lillycrop children all have unusual names. Most of them are simply unexpected, but Ur, the eldest boy, was named because Mrs Lillycrop thought Ur of the Chaldees was a person, and not a place. Other biblical names include Delilah, while the flower names Gypsophila and Hydrangea are also employed.