The Saturday briefing
YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
Is there anything you are desperately yearning to know? Are there any pressing factual disputes you would like us to help resolve? This is the page where we shall do our best to answer any questions you throw at us, whatever the subject.
QOn Poldark on BBC One, Ross was always departing for London. How long would that journey have taken by stagecoach and what would have been the stage stops? Viv Franklin, Swindon, Wilts
ARoss Poldark would have faced a 300 mile journey to get from Cornwall to London. And back in the late 18th century, that trip on unmade roads would take around a week – so people rarely did it.
Since 1500 until the 1830s, when railways were developed, horse-drawn coaches were the way to get around and deliver mail. Stagecoach routes were split into stages of 10 to 15 miles, with stops at coaching inns, where weary horses would be changed and passengers could refuel or rest – it was not safe to travel overnight.
You would average speeds of 3mph using the same horses, 8-9mph if you changed horses at every inn and you were lucky with conditions.
Many of the inns along the routes are still around, featuring
arches that let coaches access the stables.The famous Jamaica Inn in Bolventor would have been a good stop-off for Aidan Turner’s Poldark after a tough trip across Bodmin Moor.
Its isolated location made it ideal for smugglers and secrets – it also inspired the Daphne du Maurier novel.
QWhich English rugby league team is the most successful of all time? Steve Choules, by email
AThe most successful rugby league team of all time are Wigan Warriors. They have been league champions 22 times and won the Challenge Cup 19 times.
Second are St Helens, who have been champions on 13 occasions and have 12 Challenge Cup victories.
However rugby league went through a revolution in 1996 when it switched from being a winter sport to a summer game
with an elite division currently of 12 teams known as Super League.
Since then, Leeds Rhinos, with eight victories, have won most championship titles. But the most successful team overall in the summer era are St Helens, with 13 major trophies, comprising six championships and seven cup victories.
QWhen did the use of BCE (Before Common Era) and CE (Common Era) start? Is it down to political correctness? Graham Loney,York
ABefore BC and AD were widely used, calendars were based on major events, such as the formation of Rome and who was in charge. “Before Christ” and “Anno Domini”, meaning year of our Lord, took centuries to catch on – they were in use in the 6th century but did not really take hold until the 17th century.
They spread and stood the test of time thanks to colonial
expansion.There are records of BCE and CE being used by scholars in the 16th century but it has become more mainstream in the past 30 years, with some schools choosing to switch.
The National Trust got into a row recently after dumping the traditional terms at its neolithic village at Avebury in Wiltshire to be more culturally sensitive.
But as it is not changing the timeline, just giving it a new name, critics argue it is pointless.
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