King William's College Annual Quiz - 2022-2023

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A public (private) school in the Isle of Man, named after King William IV (POB connections galore, Stephen's patient, Hanson's father, naval officer etc. etc.) sets an annual quiz requiring a great deal of esoteric knowledge (POB content).
— Adam Quinan

"Scire ubi aliquid invenire possis,
ea demum maxima pars eruditionis est"

You are invited to supply the answers. Check the checkboxes next to the question(s) you wish to answer, and click on the "Answer" button at the top of each section. Fill in the appropriate fields and click on "Submit".
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R

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A.During 1922 :
 1. what name was adopted by Siciliano?
 Charles Atlas
Clare T
 2. where, following an election, did XI replace XV?
 Vatican City
The Election of Pius XI
D Chiverton
 3. in what, was one of the protagonists' inappropriate liking for offal, and especially grilled mutton kidneys, revealed?
 James Joyce: Ulysses
"Mr. Leopold Bloom ate with relish the inner organs of beasts and fowls"
Larry Finch
 4. how might one have justified 0 x 8 + 11 (+4) = 15 and a most improbable result?
 
Under bodmas, 15 is the right answer… but there must be more to it than that
Mark Iliff
 Using polish notation
Invented by Lukasiewicz i1924
Dreadnought
 A Bizarre Cricket Match
(Told this by a fellow quizzer....) Hampshire vs Warwickshire in 1922. Hampshite bowled out for just 15 runs (8 ducks, 11 scored runs, 4 extras) but went on to make a massive second iniings follow on score and won the match by about 150 runs.....
Gary B.
 
My Hampshire typo above may well be rudely accurate - but it was accidental!
 Hampshire’s victory over Warwickshire by 155 runs following their first innings total of 15
The Quizmaster says
 5. who started a six-year sentence for sedition, but would be released after two years owing to appendicitis?
 Gandhi
Clare T
 6. whose unnatural death is perhaps recalled by airline passengers changing trains when heading for the Tafelhalle?
 Walther Rathenau
Rathenau was assassinated by the right-wing paramilitary group Organisation Consul in Berlin
GBB
 
Some of this clue is odd.... undoubtedly Rathenau's death in Berlin. But the travel reference is to Nuremberg, from whose airport you can change trains at Nürnberg Rathenauplatz to get to the train stop at the famous Tafelhalle concert venue....
Gary B.
 Walther Rathenau
The Nuremberg U-Bahn station Rathenauplatz is not only named after him but also bears his face in portrait along the walls.
Tassie Tigers
 7. which prize winner gained a son who would in due course be similarly rewarded?
 
D Chiverton
 Niels Bohr
His son won a Nobel prize in 1972
Clare T
 8. and who faced the firing squad five decades before his son was elected President?
 Erskine Childers
Dave Williams
 
 9. who was gunned down outside No. 36 Eaton Place?
 Field-Marshall Sir Henry Wilson
Killed outside his home by Reginald Dunne and Joseph O’Sullivan
Larry Finch
 10. how did the Seine cause 86 people to drown?
 SS Egypt was a P&O ocean liner. She sank after a collision with Seine on 20 May 1922 in the Celtic Sea.
Dave Williams

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B.
 1. where did the Aston Martin become entangled with Tilly's TR3?
 Macon
In Goldfinger
Don Seltzer
 2. where did Jake, Robert and Bill buy a pretty good rod cheap and two landing-nets?
 Bayonne
The sun also rises Hemingway
 3. which city sent the most insurrectionary tune into the world that was ever composed?
 Marseille
La Marseillaise, French revolutionary and national anthem
Adam Q
  Marseilles (Charles Dickens, Little Dorrit)
The Quizmaster says
 4. where was the portable guillotine put to good use in the town square following its transfer from Sophia?
 Muzillac
From Mr Midshipman Hornblower
Don Seltzer
 5. where, thinking of dinner, did Christy-Pallière anticipate Hébert's fish soup followed by langouste in court-bouillon?
 Toulon
Post Captain
Don Seltzer
 6. what little place is noted for the making of lace, for drunkenness, for freedom of language and for unparallel political discussion?
 Montastier
Travels with a donkey in the Cévennes R L Stevenson
Dave Williams
 7. where did the wine merchant receive a gunshot wound, leading to a request for the Inspector to visit from Rennes?
 
Feels lke it should be Maigret and the Wine Merchant, but can't nail the Rennes reference
Mark Iliff
 Concarneau
Maigret and the Yellow Dog
Don Seltzer
 8. where did des Grieux meet the prospective nun, following her arrival on the Arras coach?
 Amiens
In Massenet's opera 'Manon' (act I), based on Prévost's novel 'Manon Lescaut'.. I do not know whether the scene occurs in the novel itself.
Oliver Mundy
  Amiens (Abbé Prévost, Manon Lescaut)
The Quizmaster says
 9. where was Bibi and his beloved daughter rescued by those demmed English spies?
 ?? Pakistan
This is from the Scarlet Pimpernel series, but I can't find the demmed location accurately!
Gary B.
 Orange?
From Sir Percy Hits Back but slightly unsure of location
Carol H
 
Yes - definitely Orange
Gary B.
 Orange (Baroness Orczy, Sir Percy Hits Back)
The Quizmaster says
 10. where was the Lord Primate's costly turquoise found in a corvid nest?
 Rheims
The Jacdaw of Rheims poem
Adam Q

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C. In what:
 1. yarn did the narrator champion a charismatic but doomed colonial ivory trader?
 Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness
Ivory trader Kurtz
Larry Finch
 2. did the ship-wrecked Caucasian émigré wed the serving girl with a 'heart of gold'?
 Amy Foster
Another Conrad story
Carol H
 3. story did the Eurasian daughter of the eponymous subject elope with the Raja's son?
 Almayer’s Folly
Conrad
Carol H
 4. simple tale did an accident spare the Greenwich Observatory but result in the fragmentation of the bomb-carrier?
 Secret Agent – Joseph Conrad
Book was based on a real terrorist attack o the Obso in 1894
Mark Iliff
 5. tale did the junior partner relate how he was wrapped in a hammock and stitched up from the feet to the throat as if he had been a corpse?
 An Outcast of the islands
Conrad
Carol H
 6. romance was an ancient, beached schooner, used as an arsenal, fired by the old Norwegian 'caretaker', enabling the escape of the hostages?
 The Rescue
Conrad
Carol H
 7. confession was it supposed that the ship's entire supply of quinine had been sold in Haiphong for about fifteen pounds?
 The Shadow Line - Conrad
Gary B.
 8. narrative did a cargo of coal suffer spontaneous combustion to the south of Java Head?
 Youth – Joseph Conrad
Mark Iliff
 9. did the eponymous hero recall repeatedly “Eight hundred people and seven boats”?
 Conrad: Lord Jim
Larry Finch
 10. preferred sub-titled maritime story was the dying subject accused of malingering?
 Conrad: The Nigger of the 'Narcissus': A Tale of the Forecastle is an 1897
Larry Finch
 A Tale of the Sea
Preferred sub-title to the original
The Quizmaster says

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D.Who:
 1. was 'sense' if Marianne was 'sensibility'?
 Elinor
Poll Skeeping
 2. thanks to Longshanks, is remembered at Geddington?
 Eleanor Cross
Wife of Edward I- the Geddington Cross marks one of the stops of her body enroute to Westminster Abbey
Larry Finch
 Eleanor of Castile
Who not what
Adam Q
 Eleanor of Castile, Consort of Edward I (Sites of Eleanor Crosses)
The Quizmaster says
 3. adopted a disguise whose gender deceived Rocca's daughter?
 Leonore
Beethoven's Fidelio, Rocca is jailer
Arthur
 4. stood in after the Frederikshald tragedy before handing over to her husband?
 Ulrika Eleanora
Sister of Charles XII of Sweden
Carol H
 Ulrika Eleonora
Sister of Charles XII, killed at Frederikshald
Arthur
 5. according to legend, murdered the King's mistress, in her Woodstock 'prison'?
 Eleanor of Acquitaine
rumored that she poisoned Rosamund; Eleanor feared that Henry would divorce her to marry Rosamund
Larry Finch
 6. anticipated the RSPB by 500 years and is remembered in the name of a migratory raptor?
 Eleanor of Arborea
Eleonora’s Falcon
Don Seltzer
 7. likened her sex to a teabag, with an ability to get stronger with increasing heat?
 Eleanor Roosevelt
Don Seltzer
 8. exchanged poetry with Amory one year after her attempted suicide?
 Eleanor Savage
This Side of Paradise, F Scott Fitzgerald
Carol H
 9. wears the face that she keeps in a jar by the church door?
 Eleanor Rigby
Beatles song of the same name
Larry Finch
 10. as Florimel, impressed the celebrated diarist?
 Eleanor (Nell) Gwyn
Clare T

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E. Who:
 1. could liquidise one like a carrot in a kitchen blender?
 Miss Trunchbull
Matilda Roald Dahl
Dave Williams
 2. received a version of Agamemnon as a leaving present?
 Andrew Crocker Harris
Rattigan The Browning version
Dave Williams
 3. was associated with corporal punishment by the celebrated Venusian poet?
 Orbilius (L. Orbilius Pupillus)
Roman grammarian and schoolmaster mentioned by Horace (the poet in question) in his second Satire (and also on one occasion by Jack Aubrey).
Oliver Mundy
 4. was a most come-at-able lady, who would dress the children's chilblains in winter?
 Mrs Goddard
Emma Jane Austen
Dave Williams
 5. was the one-armed art master, who had lost the contents of his left sleeve in the Great War?
 Teddy Lloyd
Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
Dave Williams
 6. was reprimanded by his wife for reading a disguised copy of Lives of the Great Poisoners at table?
 Mr Pugh
Character in Dylan Thomas' under milk wood
Dave Williams
 7. took Old Pompous's umbrella without permission, and with disastrous consequences?
 Mr Traill
in Hugh Walpole's The Gods and Mr Perrin
Gary B.
 
That first answer was the later USA title - the original was "Mr Perrin and Mr Traill"
Gary B.
 8. after wrongly pronouncing butter, was accused of making fritters of English?
 Sir Hugh Evans
Shakespeare Merry wives of Windsor
Dave Williams
 9. was run over by a tram in Stoke-on-Trent when one-over-the-eight?
 Captain Grimes
Decline and Fall Evelyn Waugh
Dave Williams
 
Dave Williams
 10. made the most dismal sounds when playing his flute?
 Dick Swiveller
Dickens Old Curiosity Shop
Dave Williams
 Mr. Mell (under-master at Salem House)
In 'David Copperfield', when Mell takes David to see his mother.
Oliver Mundy
 Mr Mell (Charles Dickens, David Copperfield)
The Quizmaster says

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F.
 1. where are the Pumas caged?
 Buenos Aires
Argentinian National Rugby Team
Dave Williams
 RAF Benson
Pumas are helicopters based there
Bruce
 RAF Benson (Helicopter Squadrons)
The Quizmaster says
 2. whose break is less destructive than Rolando?
 Bennett’s
Both are names for breaks of the base of the thumb
Carol H
 3. what had a Sandhurst interlude lasting for 37 years?
 Exclusivity for male officers & cadets
In 1984, women , formerly trained at Bagshot, were admitted to Sandhurst.
GBB
 Above clearly does not fit the "Ben" theme :-(
GBB
 Bendigo
The city of Bendigo in Victoris (Australia) was called Sandhurst between 1853 and 1891
Gary B.
 
Victoria ...... (apologies - typing with 2 broken fingers!)
Gary B.
 Bendigo, Victoria (Renamed 1854-1891)
The Quizmaster says
 4. what passed from Britain to the Netherlands in 1824?
 Malacca & all Dutch establishments in India
Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824
Mark Iliff
 Fort Marlborough in Bencoolen
Anglo-Dutch Treaty
Carol H
  Bencoolen (Sumatra, Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824)
The Quizmaster says
 5. where did the two enjoy coffee and kümmel with von Brüning in a dingy inn-parlour?
 In riddle of the sands by Erskine
Dave Williams
 Bensersiel
Dave Williams
 6. after which conflict did Alfred show compassion for the defeated leader's wife and his two sons?
 Benfleet
Battle of Benfleet in 894, won by Alfred's son Edward, who had sent already captured enemy hostages to his father
Gary B.
 7. in what do everlasting praise and magnification appear repeatedly?
 The canticle 'O all ye works of the Lord', known as 'Benedicite' from its first word in the Latin version
The refrain, many times repeated, is 'Praise him and magnify him for ever'. The text is from the book of Daniel.
Oliver Mundy
 8. where did Charles Edward adopt a disguise as Betty?
 South Uist over the sea to Skye
Bonnie Prince Charlie disguised as Flora Macdonald's maid
Adam Q
 Benbecula
More in keeping with the “Ben” theme
Carol H
  Benbecula (June 1746)
The Quizmaster says
 9. which Girl of my Heart perished at Kastellorizo?
 HMS Ben-my Cree
Sunk at Kastellorizo, manx for 'girl of my heart'
Arthur
 10. which brewery owed its origin to a Pope?
 W H Brakepear and Sons Ltd Henley on Thames
Related to Nicholas Breakspear who became the only English pope in 1154
Peter H
 Doesn’t fit with Ben theme!
Peter H
 Benskins Brewery
of Watford, founded by John Pope
Gary B.
 Benskins, Watford
The Quizmaster says

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G.
 1. what is liable to herniation?
 the inguinal canal
Trish Fraser
 2. what was the haunt of the Tom Puddings?
 Aire and Calder Navigation
Used for carrying coal form the Yorkshire coalfield to the port of Goole - where I saw them hauled up and the coal tipped into ships.
GBB
 3. where is Juno still working after more than 140 years?
 Göta Canal
MS Juno 1874 claims to be the world's oldest cruise ship
Mark Iliff
 4. which canal is carried over another by a unique swing bridge?
 Bridgewater Canal
Crosses Manchester Ship Canal on Barton Swing Aqueduct
Mark Iliff
 5. on which canal did Cressy find a lock full of the bloated, putrifying bodies of rats?
 Grand Union Canal
Belgrave Lock in the narrow boat by Tom Rolt
Dave Williams
 River Soar/Grand Union Canal
Was Belgrave Lock, at junction between the two - Narrow Boat by LTC Rolt
Carol H
  Grand Union Canal (Belgrave Lock, L T C Rolt, Narrowboat)
The Quizmaster says
 6. on which canal did Arethusa find the water at about the drinking temperature of tea?
 Willebroek Canal
An Inland Voyage, R L Stevenson
Carol H
 7. where did the club-footed poet succeed, while Scott and Mengaldo failed?
 Venice
Where the Byron Cup for canal-swimming is still contested.
Gary B.
 Grand Canal, Venice
I'm a tad puzzled by this one, as iirc, they swam more than one canal in thier "endurance race"
Gary B.
 8. where can you darn your socks when it's still in its locks?
 The Crinan Canal
Song - The Crinan canal for Me
Carol H
 9. which two canals are linked by a rotating boat lift?
 Forth & Clyde Canal joined to the Union Canal by the Falkirk Wheel
Larry Finch
 10. what was the target of Garlic?
 Dortmund canal
'Garlic' code name for attack in WW II
Arthur

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H.
 1. who practised the 'so easy' sidestroke in the turbid Amazon?
 Sticky Prickly
Kipling just so stories Armadillo
Dave Williams
 2. which Torpedo pioneered the swim from Donaghadee to Portpatrick?
 Tom Blower
first person to swim the North Channel, nicknamed 'torpedo'
Arthur
 3. who swam to Safety Bay beside the Swiss pastor's makeshift vessel of eight tubs?
 Turk and Juno
dogs with Swiss Family Robinson
Arthur
 Two dogs, Turk and Flora (J D Wyss, The Swiss Family Robinson)
The Quizmaster says
 4. who escaped entanglement with a cephalopod during a 300 yards swim in Shark Bay?
 James Bond
In the (book) Live and Let Die, Chap 19 ......
Gary B.
 5. who was reduced to a mass of blue-grey mottled flesh after skinny- dipping between Old Mill Road and Scotch?
 Christine Watkins
First chapter of Jaws by Peter Benchley
Carol H
 6. after an epic Manhattan swim, which Olympian made a trail-blazing crossing of the English Channel the following year?
 Gertrude Ederle
First woman to swim the Channel
Carol H
 Gertrude Erdele
First woman to successfully swim the English Channel 1926
Dave Williams
 7. whose parent did the son of Ecgtheow decapitate, having swum to the bottom of the monster-infested lake?
 Grendel
The son of Ecgtheow is Beowulf, in the ancient English poem called after him. The mother is never named.
Oliver Mundy
 8. whose swim through the Iron Curtain received praise from Gorbachev and Reagan?
 Lynne Cox
swam Bering Strait
Arthur
 9. which Salopian failed, terminally, to swim through the Whirlpool Rapids?
 Matthew Webb
Born Dawley, Shropshire / Died 1883 Niagara River attempting to swim through the rapids in question
Mark Iliff
 10. who faintly stretched his dripping limbs, having swum for Glory?
 Lord Byron
Poem written after swimming the Bosphorus
Clare T

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I.Which:
 1. plotter composed an Elegy on the eve of his execution?
 Chidiock Tichborne
Arthur
 2. traitor was sympathetically described in poetry by a Nobel laureate?
 John MacBride
1916 Easter rising, W. B. Yeats
Arthur
 Roger Casement (W B Yeats)
The Quizmaster says
 3. Irish officer in the British Army was executed for leading his eponymous Plot?
 Edward Despard
Despard plot, 1802
Arthur
 4. couple were, according to another Nobel laureate, 'sacrificial lambs in the marketplace sold'?
 Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
In song by Bob Dylan
Carol H
 5. Dutch suicide's embalmed body was posthumously executed by hanging in its coffin from a gibbet?
 Gilles van Ledenberg
Utrecht 1618
Carol H
 Gilles van Ledenberg
1618,arrested for treason, committed suicide to avoid execution
Arthur
 6. black sheep from an eminent political family pleaded guilty to treason in a trial lasting eight minutes?
 John Amery
Nazi activist in WW2, son of Leo and brother of Julian both UK cabinet ministers
Adam Q
 7. RAF pilot stole a Hurricane and later infiltrated resistance groups on behalf of the enemy?
 Augustin Preucil
1941, czech traitor
Arthur
 8. sometime Governor was executed close to the present site of a noted island school?
 Illiam Dhone/William Christian
At Hango Hill near King William's College
Adam Q
 9. bellicose abolitionist's soul is still mobile 160 years after his execution?
 John Brown
soul goes marching on
Adam Q
 10. vulpine traitor lost his head after capture beside Loch Morar?
 Simon Fraser, Lord Lovat
nicknamed 'the fox'
Arthur

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J.
 1. with what does a sharp play on an untrue cloth?
 Billiad cue
Cheating at billiards
Wanda Finch
 A twisted cue (and elliptical billiard-balls)
In Gilbert & Sullivan's 'Mikado', act II (the Mikado's song, 'A more humane Mikado').
Oliver Mundy
 A twisted cue and elliptical billiard balls (W S Gilbert, The Mikado, Act 2)
The Quizmaster says
 2. who invited Frederic Henry to play billiards at Stresa?
 Count Greffi
A Farewell to Arms, Hemingway
Carol H
 Count Greffi
Hemingway A farewell to arms
Dave Williams
 3. at what was Felson opposed by Findley during the Kentucky Derby?
 Three cushion billards
Film 'The Hustler'
Arthur
 4. what islet did Mr Anthony Hurrell describe as being as bare as a billiard-table?
 Skule Skerry
The Runagates Club by Jphn Buchan
Don Seltzer
 Smile Skerry
The Runnagates club john Buchan
Dave Williams
 Skule Skerry
Typo!
Dave Williams
 5. why did Charmian decline the queen's demand that they play billiards, suggesting that she play with the eunuch instead?
 My arm is sore
Shakespeare Anthony and Cleopatra act 2 scene 5
Dave Williams
 6. which six times World Champion claimed that snooker would prevail if a choice was to be made between marital constancy and snooker?
 Ray Reardon
"If I had to make the choice between staying married and playing snooker, snooker would win."
GBB
 7. where were Harris and his friends denied overnight accommodation on the billiard-table?
 At an inn in Datchet
From “Three Men in a Boat (to say nothing of the dog)” by Jerome K Jerome
Larry Finch
  The Stag Inn at Datchet (Jerome K Jerome, Three Men in a Boat)
The Quizmaster says
 8. which sovereign's body was temporarily shrouded in her own billiard cloth?
 Mary Queen of Scots
Clare T
 9. to what did the Billiard-marker apply chalk with quivering hand?
 The tip of his nose
In Lewis Carroll's 'Hunting of the Snark', Fit IV.
Oliver Mundy
 10. to what were the sleeping Platypus family likened?
 Little brown billiard balls
Old Man Platypus, A B Peterson
Carol H

Top     Gunroom              

K.
 1. where are they urged to serve to lead?
 Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst
Mark Iliff
 2. and where should I do as much as I can?
 Stonyhurst College
Motto is Quant Me Puis
Dreadnought
 
Quant Je Puis
 3. where was the French Prince, killed in the Zulu War, initially laid to rest?
 Chislehurst
Prince Louis-Napoleon died in Zulu Wars
Adam Q
 St Mary’s Church, Chislehurst (Louis-Napoleon, Prince Imperial,1879)
The Quizmaster says
 4. where are two holders of the VC entombed in the Church of St John the Baptist?
 Penshurst in Kent
Gary B.
 5. where does the prominent octagonal water tower offer a distant view of a Royal residence?
 Tilehurst
View of Windsor Castle from top
Carol H
 6. where was accommodation provided for Young, Sutcliffe, Clark and many others of similar persuasion?
 Parkhurst Prison
Villains and serial murderers....
Gary B.
 7. what insular trading post was named after the Secretary of State for War and the Colonies?
 Bathurst, New South Wales
Founded 1815 and named after the third Earl Bathurst who then held the post in question.
Oliver Mundy
 8. where was the great novelist's return from Paris interrupted by a fatal derailment?
 Staplehurst
On 9 June 1865 a train carrying Charles Dickens and his secret mistress Ellen Ternan ran off a bridge at this point.
Oliver Mundy
 9. where is it thought that the infant Taxus started life around 2,000 BC?
 Crowhurst
4000 year old yew tree
Adam Q
 10. where do the Verderers hold Court in the Queen's House?
 Lyndhurst
New Forest
Adam Q

Top     Gunroom              

L.
 1. who started quite simply in Pimlico?
 Nico Landenis
Opened his first place in London as Simply Nico in Pimlico
Gary B.
 2. whose popular show lacked the anticipated nudity?
 Jamie Oliver
The Naked Chef
Carol H
 3. which fraternity started with a street urchin in Mayfair?
 The Baker Street Irregulars
A “fraternity” of street urchins founded by Wiggins, appear in several Sherlock Holmes mysteries
Larry Finch
 The Roux Brothers
Michel and Albert started Le Gavroche (The Urchin) in Upper Brook Street, Mayfair
Gary B.
  Michel and Albert Roux (Le Gavroche. Character in Victor Hugo, Les Misérables)
The Quizmaster says
 4. who graduated from a passage in N1 to a stately home in Suffolk?
 Robert Carrier
of Carrier's in Camden Passage, Islingtom, to Hintlesham Hall in Suffolk
Gary B.
 5. who barbecued marinated puffin, but also had a life-threatening fall into the sea?
 Gordon Ramsay
Clare T
 6. who could produce crisp sausages and fragrant shavings of bacon, and shapely poached eggs?
 Paddock
From The Thirty-nine Steps.
GBB
 7. who, despite her limitations, prepared curried chicken for Mr Phelps's breakfast?
 Mrs. Hudson (Sherlock Holmes's landlady)
In 'The Naval Treaty'. Percy Phelps found the missing document under a dish-cover on the breakfast table. at 221B Baker Street.
Oliver Mundy
 Mrs Hudson
The Adventure of the Naval Treaty (Sherlock Homes short story)
Don Seltzer
 8. who prepared roasted grasshopper with ladybird sauce?
 Mr. Jeremy Fisher
THE TALE OF MR. JEREMY FISHER by Beatrix Potter
Larry Finch
 9. which pioneer produced menus for Le Diable Boiteux?
 Marie-Antoine Carême
Careme was the pioneer of French "grande cuisine", and worked in his early carreer for the diplomate Tallyrand, known as The Lame Devil
Gary B.
 10. who found the sandwiches fatally unpalatable?
 Gary Rhodes
Famous chef who ate a ham sandwich at home with his wife in Dubai and immediately collapsed and died with a brain bleed
Gary B.
 
I've some doubts about my earlier answer - there was no causal connection between the sandwich and the sad demise; moreover, his wife said he had just enjoyed the sandwich, not not quite "unpalatable". However, first, incorrect reports were that he had "choked"
Gary B.
 Captain James Cook
killed on Sandwich Island
Tassie Tigers
 Capt. James Cook (Sandwich Isles murder)
The Quizmaster says

Top     Gunroom              

M.Where:
 1. was Goblin's home port?
 Manticore
1922, Honorverse, stationed in the Talbot cluster
Glen Campbell
 Pin .Mill
Arthur Ransome "We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea"
Adam Q
  Pin Mill (Arthur Ransome, We Didn’t Mean to Go to Sea)
The Quizmaster says
 2. was grain milled under lunar influence until 1957?
 Woodbridge, Suffolk
The Tide Mill (actually using motions of a tidal estuary) closed in 1957. Now a Museum
Gary B.
 3. does a plaque on the inn refer to a famously willing carrier?
 Great Yarmouth
Bar
Dreadnought
 
David Copperfield Barkis
  Blundeston (Plough Inn, Barkis – Charles Dickens, David Copperfield)
The Quizmaster says
 4. was a Scene on a Navigable River captured by the East Bergholt master?
 Flatford Mill
Painting by John Constable
Don Seltzer
 5. did the threat of invasion necessitate evacuation of the boys to Derbyshire?
 Framlingham
Framingham College evacuated to Repton
Dreadnought
 6. did Magnus's dinner companion suffer postprandial confusion and enter the bedroom of his prospective bride?
 The Great White Horse Inn, Ipswich, Suffolk
In 'The Pickwick Papers', Mr. Pickwick mistakes the bedroom of Miss Withers, the intended of Mr. Peter Magnus, for his own.
Oliver Mundy
 White Hart Inn, Ipswich (Charles Dickens, The Pickwick Papers)
The Quizmaster says
 7. was the famed Glaswegian architect and artist arrested as a German spy?
 Charles Rennie Mackintosh Walberswick in Suffolk
Dave Williams
 8. did spontaneous combustion of nitrocellulose cause 28 deaths?
 Stowmarket Guncotton Explosion 11.8.1871
Moved to a new venue in 1872
Peter H
 9. did The Building of the House launch the new venue?
 Snape Maltings, Suffolk
Benjamin Britten's "The Building of the House" was written for the inauguration.
GBB
 10. is there a lighthouse in Stradbroke Road?
 Southwold, Suffolk.
Southwold lighthouse is on Stradbroke Road.
GBB
 Southwold Lighthouse
Located on Stradbroke Road, Southwould, Suffolk
Peter H

Top     Gunroom              

N.In which letter did the writer:
 1. employ Phebe as postman?
 Saint Paul's letter to the Romans
Dave Williams
 2. address the recipients as foolish?
 Saint Paul's letter to the Galatians
Dave Williams
 3. regard charity as superior to both faith and hope?
 Paul's First Epistle to the Corinthians
Mark Iliff
 4. uniquely address his message to a lady and her children?
 Saint John in his 2nd epistle
Dave Williams
 5. emphasise the superiority of Christ over the angels and Moses?
 Letter to the Hebrews
Dave Williams
 6. anticipate his own demise, and urge his 'beloved son' to bring books and the parchments?
 Saint Paul's 2nd letter to Timothy
Dave Williams
 7. urge consideration of things honest, just, pure, lovely and of good report?
 Saint Paul's letter to the Philippians
Dave Williams
 8. allude to the recipient being his representative in Crete?
 Saint Paul's pastoral epistle to Titus
Dave Williams
 9. reveal Enoch's relationship to Adam?
 Jude's letter
Dave Williams
 10. provide marriage guidance?
 Paul's first letter to the Corinthians
Dave Williams
 Paul's letter to the Ephesians
Paul writes, husbands, love your wives. Eph 5:25 First Corinthians is read at weddings but is not about marriage guidance
David Smith 
  I Peter (3:1-12)
The Quizmaster says

Top     Gunroom              

O.
 1. where is the city's leaning tower?
 Templar Church Bristol
Leans approx 1.5m to the vertical
Peter H
 Temple (Holy Cross) Church
The Quizmaster says
 2. from what did Sarah parachute to a muddy landing?
 Clifton Suspension Bridge
Sarah Ann Healey attempted suicide I 1885 but survived!
Peter H
 3. where did the Second Master describe grinding at the mill for 27 years?
 [Perhaps] Clifton College
T. E. Brown, the Manx clergyman and poet, taught for many years at the College. However, Wikipedia gives the duration of his tenure there as 28 or 29 years (1863–92) rather than 27. The old Dictionary of National Biography states that he came there in 1864.
Oliver Mundy
 Clifton College
Correct, Oliver! He wrote: 'm here at Clifton, grinding at the mill My feet for thrice nine barren years have trod, 
Gary B.
 Clifton College (T E Brown, Clifton)
The Quizmaster says
 4. which famous vessel's return home from Stanley was initiated by a Manxman?
 SS Great Britain??
She was defo returned from Port Stanley in 1970, but I'm not sure about the Mnaxman
Mark Iliff
 Dr Ewan Corbett, Manxman and naval architect wrote a letter to the Times re rescuing ss Great Britain in 1967
Peter H
 5. what did the precocious teenager describe as the pride of Bristowe and the western land?
 Church of St Mary, Kedcliffe Bristol
Peter H
 
...and presumably the teenager was Thomas Chatterton?
Kate Bunting
 St Mary Redcliffe (Thomas Chatterton, 1752 -1770)
The Quizmaster says
 6. where does a Saxon carving represent the interlude between crucifixion and resurrection?
 Bristol Cathedral
"The Harrowing of Hell" carving, based on the notion that Jesus descended into hell to preach in that interlude
Gary B.
 7. from where did the Squire write in duplicate to the Doctor regarding his recent purchase?
 Old Anchor Inn, Bristol
Treasure Island
Mark Iliff
 8. who found the stairs and basement kitchen in Pembroke Road too much?
 John Betjeman
In Faith and Doubt of John Betjeman
Peter H
 Mrs Battlecock
Bristol and Clifton By John Betjeman
Don Seltzer
  Mrs Battlecock (John Betjeman, Bristol and Clifton)
The Quizmaster says
 9. which centre takes its name from a 15th century masterpiece?
 Anolfini Arts Centre Bristol
Named after Jan van Eyck’s The Anolfini Portrait 1434
Peter H
 10. where did Mr Winkle take up quarters?
 Bush Inn Bristol
From Pickwick Papers. Mr pickwick had Mr Winkle stay in the Inn
Peter H

Top     Gunroom              

P.
 1. who spent four years in Bath in the 1930s?
 Haile Selassie
From 1936 to 1941 in Fairfield House
Carol H
 2. which Countess enjoyed holidays on the Côte d'Azur?
 Countess Alexandra Tolstoy
Former partner of Russian oligarch Sergei Pugachev, who has a chateau in Nice. I put this in because of the POB connection.
Don Seltzer
 Queen Victoria
As the other answers all appear to be royal personages (I was mistaken in naming John Tradescant), I think this must be Queen Victoria as 'Countess of Lancaster', a name which she certainly used when travelling in Europe.
Oliver Mundy
 
Also, all the other answers are Emperors / Empresses, which Victoria later was too ....
Gary B.
 Queen Victoria, Empress of India (travelling under the name Countess of Balmoral)
The Quizmaster says
 3. whose heir was killed in a colonial war in southern Africa?
 Napoleon III of France
His son, Prince Louis Napoléon, joined a British Army detachment in the Zulu war of 1879 and was killed in action.
Oliver Mundy
 4. who worked in a botanical garden after his return home from Russia?
 John Tradescant the Elder (? –1638)
He was employed as head gardener by the first Duke of Buckingham after visiting Russia in 1618.
Oliver Mundy
 Emperor Puyi, last Emperor of China
Worked in garden after “reeducation”
Carol H
 Puyi (last Emperor of China)
The Quizmaster says
 5. who had to pay compensation for the damage he did during a visit to Deptford?
 Tsar Pyotr of Russia (Peter the Great)
In 1698 he and his entourage were lodged in John Evelyn's house in Deptford, Sayes Court, where their horseplay caused substantial damage.
Oliver Mundy
 6. who was accorded full military honours when he arrived in Paris in 1976, centuries after his death?
 Ramses II (his mummy)
Sent to France in 1975 for investigation
Carol H
 7. who was rescued from a Black Sea port in a ship belonging to her nephew?
 Maria Feodorovna (Dagmar Of Denmark)
Brought to London from Crimea after son’s death by George V
Carol H
 8. who spent his final days in the US, Panama, and finally Egypt?
 Mohamed Reza Pahlavi, last Shah of Iran
Adam Q
 9. who was fatally stabbed on the shore of Lake Geneva?
 Empress Elisabeth ('Sisi'), consort of Franz Josef I of Austria
Murdered by the anarchist Luigi Lucheni in 1898.
Oliver Mundy
 10. who spent his final years in exile in Rangoon?
 Bahadur Shah Zafar, last Mughal Emperor
Carol H

Top     Gunroom              

Q.
 1. who failed to survive her tenth confinement?
 Elizabeth of Rhuddlan
Daughter of King Edward I
Gary B.
 2. who greeted premiers past and present two days before she died?
 Elizabeth II
Mark Iliff
 3. whose shared tomb bears the epitaph describing half-sisters In Spe Resurrectionis?
 Elizabeth I & Mary I
They were moved together by James I in 1606
Glen Campbell
 4. on the anniversary of the death of which like-named ancestor did her late Majesty pass away?
 Elizabeth Stuart
Daughter of Charles I, younger sister of Queen Mary II
Gary B.
 
Actually, Mary II was her niece (daughter of James II).
Kate Bunting
 
Apologies! As you say Mary II, and indeed Queen Anne, were her nieces...
Gary B.
 5. who provided the ancestral link between the Houses of Stuart and Hanover and 'ended her unfortunate life' in Leicester House?
 Elizabeth Stuart, Queen of Bohemia
Don Seltzer
 6. following whose death did the King ensure that Masses were said in the Auld Kirk in gratitude for the parishioners' treatment of her mortal remains?
 Queen Elizabeth de Burgh
Wife of Robert the Bruce, buried in the Auld Kirk at Cullen
Gary B.
 7. for which popular princess was court mourning interrupted by celebrations of the marriage of her niece?
 Princess Elizabeth of the United Kingdom
Daughter of George III, aunt of Queen Victoria, d. just before the latter's marriage to Albert
Gary B.
 8. who died tragically, aged 4 months, and is remembered with Scoular's poignant statue?
 Princess Elizabeth of Clarence
Daughter of the (later) William IV, our Sailor King
Gary B.
 9. who died on her 37th birthday, nine days after her seventh confinement?
 Elizabeth of York
Wife of Henry VII, daughter of Elizabeth Woodville, above
Gary B.
 
...... below ..... !
Gary B.
 10. who was placed upon the bier in happier times than on the throne?
 Elizabeth Woodville, wife of King Edward IV
Poem by Robert Southey
Gary B.

Top     Gunroom              

R.During 2022:
 1. how was Charlotte devastated by Ian's behaviour?
 Rain, wind, and power loss
Charlotte, NC, was hit by Tropical Storm (formerly Hurricane) Ian in October 2022
Glen Campbell
 Hurricane Ian (Charlotte County, Florida, where there were six fatalities)
The Quizmaster says
 2. how has Neanderthal facilitated which prize winner?
 Svante Pääbo, Nobel Prize
Sequencing of Neanderthal genome
Don Seltzer
 3. whose statue recalls His Majesty's grandmother's greatest racing disappointment?
 Dick Francis
Elizabeth the QM owned Devon Loch ridden by Francis in famous collapse
Clare T
 4. which two countries have agreed on an international border dividing which islet equally?
 Canada and Denmark
Share Hand Island in the Arctic
Adam Q
 Canada Denmark
Hans Island
Adam Q
 5. which former President survived an assassination attempt, thanks to a malfunctioning firearm?
 Cristina Fernández
Argentina VP (and former President) survived when the gun jammed.
GBB
 Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner
Ex-president and current Vice-president of Argentina. Attacked with a gun on September 1st. Gun failed to fire.
Peter H
 6. justifying her name, which Framnæs product has been viewed for the first time after almost 107 years?
 Endurance, built by Framnaes shipyard
Shackleton’s sunken ship, rediscovered
Don Seltzer
 7. which soubriquet applied to Der Alte Fritz, was suggested in Parliament for her late Majesty?
 Elizabeth the Great (Frederick the Great)
By Boris Johnson
Don Seltzer
 8. at what prestigious ceremony did an oblique reference to alopecia lead to an assault?
 the Academy Awards
Will Smith slapped Chris Rock after the comedian made a reference to Jada Pinkett-Smith's hair loss caused by alopoceia.
Glen Campbell
 9. whose round was painfully terminated at the 3rd at Pannal?
 Jonathan Bairstow
A cricketer who broke is leg after slipping on the tee box at Pannal golf club and thus missed the Men's T20 World Cup
Glen Campbell
 10. whose Slow Death has very sadly been accelerated?
 Rudi Koertzen
Cricket umpire whose lengthy deliberations gave him the nickname Slow Death - but he was sadly killed in a car accident this year
Gary B.