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?

I didn't know and have a MA in history! Although, my area of expertise is Twentieth Century and I didn't grow up in the UK. Still, though, no-one should be made to feel bad for not knowing.

He was being smug. Same as anyone out who is saying" how can you not know that".

I loved history at school and was good at it. But had never heard of these crosses until a year ago. I read a lot of historical fiction and am really into the mediaeval period which we did not study at school.

I knew, but I'm a history geek.

I have also heard that the name "Elephant and Castle" is a corruption of Eleanor de Castille (another spot for a cross, now gone, perhaps?), which name was amended during/after Cromwell's time (Oliphant's Castle), then got corrupted further to Elephant & Castle. Anybody else heard this and/or is it true?

I have heard something like that but not sure about the Elephant thing as it would not have been south of the route which ended at Charing Cross and came from the north of London.
Allso, how would Eleanor become Oliphant?

sorry I mean 'would have been south of the route'

I knew, but I'm a medievalist.

Did not know about Elephant and Castle but that would be pretty cool.

Eleanor is often Alienor, so not so far from Oliphant I guess? Or did it get corrupted later?

I would think someone was an utter twit for putting you down for not knowing something that random, though.

I dunno, that's why I'm so confused. And not ina good way!

No, never heard of them.

Have now googled thanks to northernlurkers assertion that most people should have, and I can safely say;

I've never been to any of the locations where they were.

I've only been to London once in my life so I've heard of Charing Cross but would have assumed (because I have no interest otherwise) that it was called that because it's a cross roads?

If your education was lacking HotelTango, then so was mine (but then I know hardly any names of British Kings, and have no idea who Eleanor of Castille was)

• ok stolen from wiki -

"La Infanta de Castilla[edit] A common error is that "Elephant and Castle" is a corruption of "La Infanta de Castilla", seemingly referring to a series of Spanish princesses such as Eleanor of Castile and María, the daughter of Philip III of Spain. However, Eleanor of Castile was not an infanta (the term only appeared in English about 1600). María has a strong British connection because she was once controversially engaged to Charles I, but she had no connection with Castile. "Infanta de Castilla" therefore seems to be a conflation of two Iberian royals separated by 300 years."

So as Kings Cross isn't one of the 12, why is it called Kings Cross?

Before googling it, I'd assumed that Kings Cross was one of the Eleanor Crosses, but apparently not.

Angry Monarch?

pedant - wiki reckons it's a myth. I expect they're right.

I lvoe wiki.

Given that there are none north of Lincoln for anyone to be surprised that some people have never heard of them is a bit much.

No, no idea

I never heard of them before.

I've heard of Charing Cross obviously, but I've only been to London once for a day, so always assumed that it was at a crossroads. I'll have to google them now.

I didn't know until I read this!

He was being an arse, we can't all know everything. If I know something that someone else doesn't, rather than mock them I would tell them what it is, and would like to think they would do the same for me.

As the saying goes

Every day is a school day :o

Isn't Charing Cross a corruption of Cher Reine (dear queen, if my French is holding up) Cross? Is there any truth to that either?

I knew, but I'm not sure how, probably my DM who is a history nut.
I'd have filled you in on the story but certainly not made you feel intellectually inferior. I'm not an arse.
I have huge gaps in my knowledge, I couldn't tell you half the prime ministers of the 20th century - well, I might, but couldn't tell you the order!
But I know what a merkin is I have several

Born, brought up and live in the North ... never heard of them till now

apparently not according to wiki ()
"The name of the hamlet of Charing is derived from the old English word "cierring", referring to the nearby bend in the River Thames"

I went on a History walk in Lincoln (I live about 20 miles away) and only learned of them then, so that was 2008 or 09. The chap you refer to in the OP is a Dick!!!

If ever you get a chance to do a Ghost or History walk, they're brilliant fun, and only cost a few quid pp. I've done both in Lincoln and Ghost walks in York and Nottingham.

I don't believe in ghosts, btw, but I LOVE the stories

Yes - but grew up near Banbury - place of nursery rhyme and DH live in one of the other places named after one of the crosses - and I like history.

Guy was being rude and almost certainly smug.

Ne, not heard of them before. There's a lovely xkcd cartoon (which of course I can't find) that basically says you should never belittle anyone for not knowing something, however 'obvious', you should delight in being the one who gets to tell them about it.

Well you learn something new every day and this is one of them.

Our history in school was limited to the world wars and civil wars and the history of the town I live.

Nobody should ever make you feel inferior because you do not know something and besides that may be the only thing that they do know!

No, and the guy was being a smug dick head.