The Gunpowder Plot Is Uncovered Beneath Parliament
In the early hours of November 5, 1605, Guy Fawkes was arrested in a cellar beneath the House of Lords, guarding barrels of gunpowder. The plot to blow up the king and Parliament was foiled, and the date became a lasting English tradition.
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A Plot Born of Disappointment
When James I became king of England in 1603, many English Catholics hoped that the harsh laws against them would be eased. They were disappointed, as fines and restrictions continued. A group of conspirators led by Robert Catesby, a charismatic Catholic gentleman, decided on a violent solution. They recruited a small circle, including Thomas Wintour, Thomas Percy, John and Christopher Wright, and Guy Fawkes, a soldier who had fought for Spain in the Netherlands and knew about explosives.
Barrels Under the House of Lords
The plotters rented an undercroft, a ground-floor storage cellar, directly beneath the House of Lords, and filled it with barrels of gunpowder, which they covered with firewood. The usual figure for the quantity is thirty-six barrels. They planned to blow up the building at the State Opening of Parliament on November 5, when the king, the lords, and the members of the Commons would all be inside. They also intended to seize the king’s young daughter, Princess Elizabeth, and set her up as a figurehead ruler.
A Warning Letter
About ten days before the opening, on October 26, an anonymous letter reached Lord Monteagle, a Catholic peer, warning him to stay away from Parliament. He passed it to the king’s chief minister, Robert Cecil. The authorities waited, then ordered a search of the buildings on November 4. Late that night, or soon after midnight, Fawkes was found in the cellar. He gave his name as John Johnson, a servant of Percy, and was carrying a slow match and touchwood. The author of the letter has never been identified with certainty.
Punishment and Memory
Fawkes was questioned on the king’s orders and was tortured before revealing the names of the conspirators. Catesby and several others were killed in a shoot-out at Holbeche House on November 8. The survivors were tried in January 1606, and Fawkes was executed on January 31. Parliament passed a law requiring an annual service of thanksgiving on November 5, and over time the day turned into Bonfire Night, with fires, fireworks, and effigies. The plot also deepened suspicion of Catholics for generations.
A Search That Is Still Made
Even today the memory of the plot is built into the ceremony of Parliament. Before each State Opening, a party of Yeomen of the Guard carries out a ceremonial search of the cellars beneath the Palace of Westminster, a tradition that dates back to 1605. The figure burned on Bonfire Night, the “guy,” takes its name from Guy Fawkes. Historians disagree about how much of the story is certain, and some have asked whether the government knew more than it said, but the arrest of Fawkes and the existence of the plot are well documented.
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