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Ely, Cambridgeshire - Test
Contributed by: Vaughan
  • 1. What famous landmark can be found in Ely that dominates the surrounding landscape?
A) Big Ben
B) The Shard
C) Ely Cathedral
D) Stonehenge
  • 2. Ely is known for its association with which historical figure?
A) Queen Elizabeth I
B) Oliver Cromwell
C) King Henry VIII
D) William Shakespeare
  • 3. What is the local football club in Ely known as?
A) Liverpool Blues FC
B) London United FC
C) Ely City FC
D) Manchester Reds FC
  • 4. What is the name of the ancient site near Ely that is believed to have been an important center for ritual and trading activities in the Bronze Age?
A) Flag Fen
B) Mystery Mountain
C) Enigma Island
D) Secret Valley
  • 5. Which plant species can be found abundantly in the wetlands surrounding Ely?
A) Cactus
B) Fern
C) Reed
D) Palm Tree
  • 6. Ely is often referred to as a ____.
A) Village
B) City
C) Town
D) Metropolis
  • 7. What is the name of the long-distance footpath that passes through Ely and follows the course of an ancient chalk ridge?
A) Icknield Way
B) Appalachian Trail
C) Camino de Santiago
D) Pacific Crest Trail
  • 8. In which county is Ely located?
A) Cambridgeshire
B) Surrey
C) Kent
D) Yorkshire
  • 9. Which famous author wrote a detective novel set in Ely called 'Clouds of Witness'?
A) Dorothy L. Sayers
B) Agatha Christie
C) Patricia Highsmith
D) Arthur Conan Doyle
  • 10. What is the approximate distance from Ely to Cambridge?
A) 23 km
B) 24 miles
C) 80 miles
D) 14 miles
  • 11. What is the highest land in the Fens?
A) The Kimmeridge Clay island
B) The River Nene
C) The River Great Ouse
D) The River Witham
  • 12. What type of soil is found in the Fens after they were drained?
A) Rocky soil
B) Rich and fertile soil
C) Clay soil
D) Sandy soil
  • 13. What was a significant means of transport in Ely until the Fens were drained?
A) The River Great Ouse
B) The River Welland
C) The River Witham
D) The River Nene
  • 14. What is one of the Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Ely?
A) A Roman amphitheater
B) A medieval castle
C) A Victorian garden
D) A former Kimmeridge Clay quarry
  • 15. What is the name of the annual fair granted by Henry II in 1189?
A) Saint Etheldreda's
B) The Ely Fair
C) Saint Audrey's
D) Saint Etheldreda's and Saint Audrey's
  • 16. What does the word 'tawdry' originate from?
A) Silk garments
B) Cheap lace sold at the fair
C) Leather goods
D) Expensive jewelry
  • 17. When was Ely railway station built?
A) 1753
B) 1885
C) 1769
D) 1845
  • 18. Which city is Ely twinned with since 1956?
A) Oslo, Norway
B) Ribe, Denmark
C) Copenhagen, Denmark
D) Helsinki, Finland
  • 19. What is the name of the annual event established in 2004?
A) The Eel Festival
B) The Fish Festival
C) The Fen Festival
D) The River Festival
  • 20. What is the name of the Roman road passing through Ely?
A) Icknield Way
B) Watling Street
C) Ermine Street
D) Akeman Street
  • 21. What type of pottery is Ely known for?
A) Wedgwood
B) Porcelain
C) Bone china
D) Babylon ware
  • 22. What is the population of the built-up area of Ely according to the 2021 census?
A) 19,185
B) 21,000
C) 18,000
D) 20,574
  • 23. What is the name of the coach route improved in 1769?
A) The Fen Line
B) The Roman road
C) The A10
D) The turnpike (toll road)
  • 24. What was an important activity before the Fens were drained?
A) Eel fishing
B) Corn farming
C) Cattle farming
D) Wheat farming
  • 25. What is the name of the medieval agricultural feature found in Ely?
A) Medieval plowing
B) Medieval terracing
C) Medieval crop rotation
D) Medieval ridge and furrow agriculture
  • 26. What is the name of the Roman settlement near Ely?
A) Middle Thetford
B) Great Thetford
C) Little Thetford
D) Big Thetford
  • 27. What is the name of the settlement that is part of the Ely parish?
A) Peterborough
B) London
C) Chettisham
D) Cambridge
  • 28. What is the earliest recorded form of Ely's name as mentioned in Bede's Ecclesiastical History?
A) Helga
B) Elias
C) Elge
D) Eli
  • 29. Which scholar derived the name Ely from the Old Northumbrian term ēlġē?
A) Skeat
B) Mills
C) Reaney
D) Ekwall
  • 30. What does the Old Northumbrian term ēlġē mean according to Skeat?
A) District of eels
B) Paradise
C) Eel Island
D) Willow district
  • 31. What is the modern German word related to the hypothetical word *ġē?
A) Gau
B) Gebirge
C) Garten
D) Gesellschaft
  • 32. Which scholar proposed that Ely's name might derive from 'Elysium'?
A) Skeat
B) Miller
C) Reaney
D) Mac Dowdy
  • 33. What term did Mac Dowdy use to describe Ely's historical significance?
A) Island
B) Willow
C) District
D) Paradise
  • 34. Which chronicler used the term 'Elysium' to describe Ely?
A) Ovin
B) Etheldreda
C) Wilfrid's chronicler
D) Bede's chronicler
  • 35. What is the Old English spelling of Ely as found in charters and the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle?
A) Helig
B) Elig
C) Elige
D) Elias
  • 36. What is the proposed Celtic origin of Ely's name according to Miller?
A) Heliopolis
B) Helga
C) Helios
D) Helyg or heli
  • 37. What did Bailey point out about the name Ely if it were from ēlġē?
A) It would be accurate
B) It would be irrelevant
C) It would be anomalous
D) It would be common
  • 38. What is the discrepancy in the spelling of Ely's name that Bailey highlighted?
A) The usual English spelling is Elye
B) The usual English spelling is Elige
C) The usual English spelling remains Elig
D) The usual English spelling is Helig
  • 39. What was the term for eels in the region before the 1300s?
A) Fish
B) Agulla or anguilles
C) Eels
D) Piscis
  • 40. What is the meaning of the Brythonic word helig?
A) Island
B) Willows
C) Paradise
D) Eels
  • 41. How many rioters were condemned at the Special Commission assizes in Ely in 1816?
A) 10
B) 19
C) 5
D) 24
  • 42. Which industry provided significant employment in the Ely area between 1850 and 1890?
A) Pottery making
B) Sugar beet farming
C) Willow crafting
D) Phosphate nodule digging
  • 43. Which historian wrote about Ely's cathedral dominating the landscape?
A) George Gilbert Scott
B) Nikolaus Pevsner
C) John Jones
D) Pamela Blakeman
  • 44. What year did the cholera outbreak isolate Ely?
A) 1725
B) 1832
C) 1816
D) 1555
  • 45. How many tiers of local government cover Ely?
A) Two
B) Three
C) Four
D) One
  • 46. What is the local name for the Cretaceous chalks found in east Cambridgeshire?
A) Clunch
B) Boulder Clay
C) Lower Greensand
D) Jurassic limestones
  • 47. What charity was Oliver Cromwell a governor of?
A) Thomas Parsons' Charity
B) Holy Trinity Charity
C) Cromwell's Charity
D) Bishop's Charity
  • 48. In what year was the pavement labyrinth installed at Ely Cathedral?
A) 1924
B) 1870
C) 1845
D) 1954
  • 49. How many households were recorded in the Domesday survey of 1086 in Ely?
A) 457 households
B) 800 households
C) 110 households
D) 345 households
  • 50. Who was the architect responsible for the restoration of Ely Cathedral?
A) Nikolaus Pevsner
B) John Jones
C) Edward the Confessor
D) George Gilbert Scott
  • 51. What is the name of the Grade II listed building that was once the city's courthouse?
A) The Bishop's Palace
B) The Maltings
C) The Lamb Hotel
D) Shire Hall
  • 52. Which king's reforms led to the refounding of the abbey at Ely?
A) Edward the Confessor
B) King Edgar the Peaceful
C) Queen Victoria
D) William the Conqueror
  • 53. Who granted city status to Ely by royal charter?
A) In 1974
B) In 1539
C) In 1083
D) In 1322
  • 54. How many councillors does Ely South return for the East Cambridgeshire District Council?
A) Two
B) Three
C) One
D) Four
  • 55. When was the purpose-built workhouse erected in Ely?
A) 1725
B) 1555
C) 1816
D) 1837
  • 56. What is the meaning of the Brythonic word heli?
A) District
B) Paradise
C) Fresh water
D) Salt water
  • 57. By which year did the population of Ely reach 3,000?
A) 1753
B) 1563
C) 1416
D) 1251
  • 58. Which village was worth 24,000 eels to the abbot of Ely in 1086?
A) Litelport
B) Babylon
C) Liteltetford
D) Stuntenei
  • 59. What is the name of the annual event held on the first Sunday of July in Ely?
A) Ely's annual fireworks display
B) Aquafest
C) Ely Folk Festival
D) Ely Horticultural Society's Great Autumn Show
  • 60. In what year were William Wolsey and Robert Pygot executed?
A) 1607
B) 1539
C) 1816
D) 1555
  • 61. What was the local government body in Ely from 1850 to 1894?
A) City of Ely Council
B) Local board
C) East Cambridgeshire District Council
D) City of Ely Urban District Council
  • 62. Which scholar discussed the Celtic origin of Ely's name in Fenland Notes and Queries?
A) Reaney
B) Mac Dowdy
C) Miller
D) Skeat
  • 63. When was the Stained Glass Museum first granted officially by Henry I to the abbot and convent?
A) 23 June 1189
B) 15 July 1189
C) 10 October 1189
D) 1 January 1189
  • 64. Who encouraged the construction of a turnpike road between Ely and Cambridge in the 1760s?
A) Clement of Thetford
B) James Bentham
C) Edmund Carter
D) John Fordham
  • 65. What geological formation is the Isle of Ely primarily composed of?
A) Jurassic limestones
B) Lower Greensand
C) Boulder Clay
D) Kimmeridge Clay
  • 66. Who led the drainage of the fens in the 17th century?
A) Cornelius Vermuyden
B) Daniel Defoe
C) John Wesley
D) Francis Russell
  • 67. What is the current name of Mount Hill after the tree plantings by James Bentham?
A) Green Hill
B) Bentham Hill
C) Abbey Hill
D) Cherry Hill
  • 68. What role did Oliver Cromwell serve in Ely?
A) Gaoler
B) Tax collector
C) Bishop
D) Prison reformer
  • 69. When did Henry III grant a market to the Bishop of Ely?
A) On 9 April 1224
B) In 1539
C) In 1083
D) In 1322
  • 70. In which year was the diocese of Ely created?
A) 1322
B) 1083
C) 1189
D) 1108
  • 71. Who is thought to have built Ely Castle?
A) Simeon, the first Norman bishop
B) Ethelwold, Bishop of Winchester
C) William the Conqueror
D) Henry III of England
  • 72. How long did it take to complete the construction of Ely Cathedral?
A) 50 years
B) 75 years
C) 116 years
D) 200 years
  • 73. Which building in Ely is known for its 'timbered appearance' and was restored in 1905?
A) The Lamb Hotel
B) The Maltings
C) Cromwell's House
D) The Bishop's Palace
  • 74. What was the role of Francis Russell, Earl of Bedford, in the draining of the fens?
A) He supported the drainage financially
B) He opposed the drainage
C) He led the engineering work
D) He documented the process
  • 75. Which species is protected at the Chettisham Meadow SSSI?
A) Swallowtail Butterfly
B) Common Blue Butterfly
C) Green-winged Orchid
D) Red Admiral Butterfly
  • 76. When did Oliver Cromwell live in Ely?
A) 1636 to 1646
B) 1725 to 1735
C) 1816 to 1826
D) 1555 to 1565
  • 77. When was the southwestern bypass of Ely built?
A) 2018
B) 1986
C) 2011
D) 1769
  • 78. What was the purpose of the early workhouse arrangement with Nicholas Wythers?
A) To employ the poor to spin jersey
B) To reform prisoners
C) To collect taxes
D) To house unmarried mothers
  • 79. What was Ely's abbey's rank in wealth according to the Domesday survey?
A) The third richest monastery in England
B) The second richest monastery in England
C) The richest monastery in England
D) The poorest monastery in England
  • 80. Which centuries saw the restoration of Ely Cathedral?
A) 18th century
B) 19th century
C) 20th century
D) 17th century
  • 81. What was the elevation of the cathedral and its associated buildings above the nearby fens?
A) 50 feet (15 m)
B) 100 feet (30 m)
C) 30 feet (9 m)
D) 68 feet (21 m)
  • 82. Which building in Ely was erected as a coaching house in 1828 and 1829?
A) Cromwell's House
B) The Maltings
C) The Lamb Hotel
D) The Bishop's Palace
  • 83. Which historian claims Ely has the largest collection of medieval buildings still in daily use?
A) Nikolaus Pevsner
B) Pamela Blakeman
C) John Jones
D) George Gilbert Scott
  • 84. Who condemned William Wolsey and Robert Pygot?
A) John Fuller
B) Oliver Cromwell
C) John Howard
D) William Camden
  • 85. When was a plaque commemorating the martyrdom of William Wolsey and Robert Pygot erected?
A) 1816
B) 2011
C) 1725
D) 1555
  • 86. What was the capacity of the Ely Union workhouse when it was built?
A) 24 inmates
B) 300 inmates
C) 35 inmates
D) 80 inmates
  • 87. Which notable prehistoric creature was almost completely found at Roswell Pits?
A) A pterosaur
B) A mammoth
C) A dinosaur
D) A pliosaur
  • 88. What is the name of the Grade I listed building that was once a four-building farmstead?
A) The Bishop's Palace
B) St John's farmhouse
C) The Lamb Hotel
D) The Maltings
  • 89. What was the outcome for the majority of the rioters condemned in 1816?
A) Their sentences were commuted from penal transportation for life to twelve months' imprisonment
B) They were all acquitted
C) They were all executed
D) They were all transported for life
  • 90. What was the population of Ely in 1991?
A) 15,000
B) 25,000
C) 11,291
D) 20,574
  • 91. What event caused the original nave crossing of Ely Cathedral to collapse?
A) A fire in 1083
B) An earthquake in 970
C) A flood in 870
D) The collapse occurred on 22 February 1322
  • 92. Which legal authority did not completely endorse the bishop's royal privileges at Ely?
A) Nikolaus Pevsner
B) George Gilbert Scott
C) Sir Edward Coke
D) John Jones
  • 93. When was the Ely-Ribe Tapestry commissioned?
A) 2010
B) 1985
C) 2004
D) 1996
  • 94. When was one of the largest sugar beet factories in England opened near Ely?
A) 1925
B) 1860
C) 1850
D) 1981
  • 95. What was the size of Ely's urban area?
A) 22.86 sq mi (59.21 km2)
B) 10 sq mi (25.9 km2)
C) 1.84 sq mi (4.77 km2)
D) 5 sq mi (13 km2)
  • 96. What was the population of Ely in 2021?
A) 25,000
B) 11,291
C) 15,000
D) 20,574
  • 97. What type of deposits formed in the fresh-water swamps and meres of the fens?
A) Sand
B) Clay
C) Peat
D) Silt
  • 98. When did the first Norman bishop start building the cathedral?
A) In 1083
B) In 970
C) In 870
D) In 673
  • 99. Who visited Ely on 5 July 1790 and described it as 'mean, to the extreme'?
A) William Camden
B) Celia Fiennes
C) Daniel Defoe
D) John Byng
  • 100. Which king reconfirmed the special freedoms given to Ely?
A) King Edgar the Peaceful
B) Edward the Confessor
C) Queen Elizabeth II
D) William the Conqueror
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