2019

20 Questions Quiz

Test your knowledge of abbeys and priories with our quiz. Click on each question to reveal the answer.

  • 1. Which monastery in Canterbury was founded in 598?

    Answer: St Augustine's Abbey

    In 597 St Augustine landed in Kent on a mission to convert the pagan Anglo-Saxons to Christianity. The monastery he established in Canterbury a year later was initially dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul, but this was changed in 978 to include St Augustine.

  • 3. Netley Abbey was the inspiration for which novel, published in 1817?

    Answer: Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

    After the Suppression of the Monasteries, Sir William Paulet transformed the abbey into a mansion house, which was occupied until 1704. After the house was abandoned, it became overgrown with trees and ivy. Many authors and artists visited the romantic ruin, including Austen, the writer Thomas Gray and the painter John Constable.

  • 8. ANSWER

    Answer: Lindisfarne Priory

    Monks first came to the tidal island in AD635 but fled after a Viking raid in AD793. The ruins visible today date from the early 12th century.

  • 13. How did Thornton Abbey in North Lincolnshire survive the Suppression?

    Answer: It was transformed into what’s called a collegiate foundation, where a community of priests would sing masses for the souls of benefactors

    Thornton Abbey was one of Britain's richest Augustinian monasteries. The college was closed in 1547. A house was built behind the impressive gatehouse in the 17th century but was either dismantled or never completed.

  • 17. ANSWER

    Answer: Lancelot 'Capability' Brown

    Capability Brown was England’s pre-eminent designer of landscapes. Immensely prolific, he transformed upwards of 250 gardens and parklands in England and Wales from the 1740s until his death in 1783.

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