You might be a resident of Blackmore Vale but how well do you know its history? We’ve been digging into the archives to create the first part of our Blackmore Vale History Quiz.
(Pssst, if you get stuck, the answers are posted below.)
1. What famous well-baked TV commercial was filmed by director Ridley Scott on Shaftesbury’s Gold Hill?
2. Not even a proper policeman, which Constable was possibly Gillingham’s most famous visitor, who painted a number of notable pieces, some of which can be viewed at Gillingham’s museum?
3. What was the name of the obscure novelist who was born in Dorchester in 1840?
4. Sherborne was once the capital of which kingdom?
5. Later sold at Sotherby’s for £12,500, a 1297 copy of what royal charter was discovered tucked away in the archives of King’s School in Bruton (the head of the history department hid it under his bed to keep it safe during WWII)?
6. Which Somerset village was named due to its links with the Knights Templar?
7. Which delicious sounding castle is believed by some to have been a stronghold of King Arthur?
8. Which town in the Vale did Methodist founder John Wesley describe as “one of the dullest places in all of the county” (how rude!)?
9. Where will you find a bridge crossing the River Stour that still has a sign stating, “Any person wilfully injuring any part of this county bridge will be guilty of a felony and upon conviction be liable to be transported for life by the court.”
10. What was the nickname given to the judge that sentenced many local men to death after the ill-fated Monmouth Rebellion in 1685?
11. Which local village won the title of “Bravest Little Village in Britain” during WWI?
12. Who wrote The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy while living in Stalbridge in the 1970s?
Answers
1. What famous well-baked TV commercial was filmed by director Ridley Scott on Shaftesbury’s Gold Hill?
Hovis (“He were a great baker were our dad.”)
2. Not even a proper policeman, which Constable was possibly Gillingham’s most famous visitor, who painted a number of notable pieces, some of which can be viewed at Gillingham’s museum?
John Constable – The landscape artist stayed at the Gillingham Vicarage during the 1820s
3. What was the name of the obscure novelist who was born in Dorchester in 1840?
Thomas Hardy
4. Sherborne was once the capital of which kingdom?
Wessex
5. Later sold at Sotherby’s for £12,500, a 1297 copy of what royal charter was discovered tucked away in the archives of King’s School in Bruton (the head of the history department hid it under his bed to keep it safe during WWII)?
The Magna Carter
6. Which Somerset village was named due to its links with the Knights Templar?
Templecombe
7. Which delicious sounding castle is believed by some to have been a stronghold of King Arthur?
Cadbury Castle
8. Which town in the Vale did Methodist founder John Wesley describe as “one of the dullest places in all of the county” (how rude!)?
Wincanton
9. Where will you find a bridge crossing the River Stour that still has a sign stating, “Any person wilfully injuring any part of this county bridge will be guilty of a felony and upon conviction be liable to be transported for life by the court.”
Sturminster Newton
10. What was the nickname given to the judge that sentenced many local men to death after the ill-fated Monmouth Rebellion in 1685?
Hanging Judge Jefferys
11. Which local village won the title of “Bravest Little Village in Britain” during WWI?
Shillingstone
12. Who wrote The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy while living in Stalbridge in the 1970s?
Douglas Adams
Got any fun or quirky Blackmore Vale history facts? We’d love to hear from you. Post your comments below or you can email your facts to; kye@blackmorevale.net
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