To ask if you know what an Eleanor Cross is?

[HotelTangoFoxtrotUniform]

Without resorting to google?

I was made to feel a bit of an arse for not knowing what it was last night and wanted to know if my education had been lacking of if the guy was being a smug git. And yes, I know the guy was being a smug git for pointing out publicly that I didn't know, but I want to know if its something I should have paid more attention to at school be aware of.

AIBU to ask you if you've heard of it before? And have you?

Even googling to see if it jogged a memory, no. I live in Wales and never been that side of the country, except to London but never been around the Charing Cross area.

Soupdragon - I think that's what my primary school teacher thought of me when she told me Queen Victoria died in 1900 and I told her she was wrong and it was 1901.

Kingrollo - there's usually a news story at least once a year about how scholl kids haven't heard of Churchill or Oliver Cromwell or Sir Francis Drake.

I thought this was going to be some kind of rude rhyming slang - but I can't think what for! Suggestions, anyone?

I hope they weren't a RE teacher!

burberryqueen

Wish I'd said something, still, and it was nearly 20 years ago now! And have had an aversion to the Knights Templar ever since!

Geddington is my "local" Eleanor Cross. Pic here

www.britainexpress.com/uk-picture-of-the-day-image.htm?photo=2174

I did learn about it at school but I am an old gimmer and in my schooldays 40s/50s we started history at the ancient brits (just before I was born) and moved forward (and history for most of you would have been my present - I am officially historical myself)

I'd never heard of an Eleanor cross.

It could be that we had a different history curriculum dealing with Welsh mediaeval history and as s result never learned about them. I certainly don't recall being taught about the early kings of England

Nope.

Ooh, Waltham Cross is quite near me.

Yes I knew, but I don't know how I knew.

No I didn't.

If you'd been brought up in the UK and had never heard of a badger or Glasgow then he might have been in a position to scoff but not some random bit of history you probably weren't taught about at school.

Am nearly 50 and degree educated and have never heard of them !

Never heard of it. I grew up in Scotland. Learnt a lot about Egyptians, world wars and Scottish royals in history. I did higher history and the time period was 1850 to the 1970's - the industrial revolution. Also a bit about the tsars in Russia as a project.

grimble thanks for the picture - really interesting. I've never seen one before. Now I know so can appear less thick to the smug ones

My history was:

something about corn laws

europe 17 something to 1850

WWI

probably something in between corn laws and europe too. I expect. Possibly.

I'm barely conscious of there having been a Queen Eleanor.

Yes, we have two in Northamptonshire.

I was taught about them in primary school by my form teacher who was passionate about history. But they never came up again. I only remembered as I loved the story. The same teacher taught us the names of all Henry VIII wives and all Queen Victoria's children.

It's made me good at quizzes! But I don't think that it is important.

Oh and I am 27. I know what they are, why they are there and that the one closest to me is broken :o
I am doing a History degree in September though :o

I have seen it in my hometown and have been to the Eleanor Cross pub but didnt know what it was for.

Have heard of them, drove past one daily in Northampton knew it was something to do with Queen Eleanor, but not the romantic story behind it.

Completely off topic, but Paul Weller is doing a gig in the parkland next to it tonight, where I am off to pick DS up from in a mo

I can hear the Weller concert from my flat. I am going to sit at the Abbey and listen to The Wanted tomorrow :o