The Gunpowder Plot of 1605 - History Learning Site Home » Stuart England » The Gunpowder Plot of 1605 The Gunpowder Plot of 1605 Citation: C N Trueman "The Gunpowder Plot of 1605" historylearningsite.co.uk. The History Learning Site, 17 Mar 2015. 16 Aug 2016. In November 1605, the infamous Gunpowder Plot took place in which some Catholics, most famously Guy Fawkes, plotted to blow up James I, the first of the Stuart kings of England. The story is remembered each November 5th when ‘Guys’ are burned in a celebration known as “Bonfire Night”. The story appears to be very simple. Catholics in England had expected James to be more tolerant of them. In fact, he had proved to be the opposite and had ordered all Catholic priests to leave England. This so angered some Catholics that they decided to kill James and put his daughter Elizabeth on the throne ensuring that she was a Catholic.

This led to a plot to kill not only the king of England, James, but also everyone sitting in the Houses of Parliament at the same time as James was there when he opened Parliament on November 5th, 1605. Guy Fawkes and his fellow conspirators, having rented out a house right by the Houses of Parliament, managed to get 36 barrels of gunpowder into a cellar of the House of Lords. The other conspirators were: John Grant and the man who is said to have organised the whole plot Robert Catesby. The most famous picture of some the conspirators The explosive expert, Guy Fawkes, had been left in the cellars to set off the fuse. He was only caught when a group of guards decided to check the cellars at the last moment. Fawkes was arrested and sent to the Tower of London where he was tortured and eventually gave away the names of the fellow conspirators. Sir William Wade, Lieutenant of the Tower, had orders to use whatever means of torture was required to get information from Fawkes. The order came from James. Of those involved, some were shot as they were chased by the law such as Percy and Catesby.

Others were captured, sent to the Tower and, after a brief trial, eventually hung, drawn and quartered, with Fawkes, in January 1606. The signature of Guy Fawkes on his confession In celebration of his survival, James ordered that the people of England should have a great bonfire in the night on November 5th. This fire was traditionally topped off with an effigy of the pope rather than Guy Fawkes. His place at the top of the fire came in later as did fireworks. The East Sussex county town of Lewes still has the pope alongside Guy Fawkes when it comes to the effigies being burned. But is there more to this plot than just a small number of angry Catholics wanting to make a statement against the king, James? Some believe that the whole plot was a government conspiracy to convince James that Catholics could not be trusted. At the very least, some curious things happened when the story is looked at in detail. What is odd? We do know that James’ chief minister, Robert Cecil, the Earl of Salisbury, hated Catholics and saw them as a constant source of trouble.

Cecil also feared that there was a chance that James would be lenient with them during his reign and this he could not tolerate. That James only expelled priests was not good enough for Cecil. He wanted to remove Catholicism from England as he saw it as a threat. We know that James was terrified of a violent death; his childhood in Scotland had been fraught with danger including being kidnapped as a boy. What better way to get James to severely persecute the Catholics in England than to get him to believe that they had tried to kill him in this very violent manner? The government had a monopoly on gunpowder in this country and it was stored in places like the Tower of London. How did the conspirators get hold of 36 barrels of gunpowder without drawing attention to themselves? Did they get help from the government? How was the gunpowder moved across London from the Tower of London to Westminster (at least two miles distant) without anyone seeing it? The River Thames would not have been used as it could have lead to the gunpowder becoming damp and useless. Thirty six barrels would have been a sizeable quantity to move without causing suspicion.

Why were men who were known to be Catholics allowed to rent out a house so near to the Houses of Parliament? How did they move 36 barrels from that house to the cellar of the Houses of Parliament without anyone noticing along with hay, straw etc? Why, for the first time in history, was there a search of Parliament’s cellars that conveniently found “John Johnson” (as Guy Fawkes called himself) before he lit the fuse? Why was the soldier who killed Catesby and Percy at Holbeech House in the Midlands, given such a large pension for life (10p a day for life) when their arrest and torture was more desirable so that the names of any other conspirators might be found out? Some historians have pointed out these issues and claimed that the plotters were pawns in the hands of Robert Cecil and that he orchestrated the whole affair in his bid to get James to ban Catholics altogether. There are, however, counter-arguments to many of the above points. Gunpowder may have been a government monopoly but just as today, there was a black market for it. The conspirators would have had the money to pay for this and it could have been smuggled in from Catholic France, for example.

The south coast was riddled with smugglers havens. Fawkes could have used his contacts with Spain to acquire it. In many senses, this would not have been a difficult problem. Moving the gunpowder from the Tower to Westminster could have been done over a number of days, barrel by barrel, journey by journey. This would have attracted less attention though it did increase the chance of being caught as more journeys were being made. One theory put forward is that it was stored at a house owned by Catesby in Lambeth and moved barrel by barrel up the Thames at night to Westminster. dangerous and risky but the conspirators were motivated men and it could have happened. The conspirators used false names so hiring out property near to the Houses of Parliament would not have been that difficult. Thomas Percy had contacts in Parliament and these were almost certainly used to get the house there and later the cellar where the gunpowder was actually put. The soldier who shot Percy and Catesby was in a firefight in which he may have been shot and killed himself. Why risk your own life against such desperate people? Was the 10p a day for life merely a generous reward for services to a grateful king?

Also, if Fawkes and company had been set-up by, why did he not say so at his execution when he could have said something? Possibly he was not in a fit enough state to say anything; also who would have believed him as he had been castigated as the evil conspirator to kill the king? It may be that the conspirators simply acted alone and then got caught. The confession of Fawkes does not mention at all any claim that he was a dupe of the government. He himself stated that he was first approached by Thomas Wintour in Europe about the plot in 1604 and that he met the others when he returned to London. The only full confession about the plot from start to finish came from Thomas Wintour. He, too, makes no mention about being set-up etc. Two issues do cloud the story, however. The first is the so-called Monteagle Letter. One of the plotters was a man called Francis Tresham. Lord Monteagle was his cousin. On the evening of October 26th, a mysterious man brought a letter to Monteagle’s home just outside of London.

The letter was a clear warning for Monteagle not to turn up at the Houses of Parliament on the 5th November. In modern English the letter stated that Parliament would receive a terrible blow on that day and that those killed would not see who had done it to them. The letter was addressed to Monteagle but it was read out aloud by his servant. Why? Was Monteagle looking for a witness that he had received this letter? Monteagle went straight to Robert Cecil and informed him of what had happened. Cecil ordered a search of the cellars of Parliament on the night of November 4th. Those guards found Guy Fawkes. A second search the next day, ordered by James I, also found the explosives and Guy who was found to be in possession of matches. he was arrested. The other issue also involves Tresham. Here was an important member of the gang who could know a great deal about other conspirators who were not actually yet caught. Once arrested, he was locked in the Tower of London – England’s most feared and secure prison. Tresham was locked in a cell by himself. He died on December 23rd 1605, and he was found to have been poisoned.

How did he get the poison? Did he knowingly take it? Or did someone want to silence him before he talked? It is possible that Tresham had the poison on him and took it rather than suffer the butchery of being hung, drawn and quartered. If someone else had access to him, and fed him poisoned food or whatever, he would have been a very important person as only the most important would have had access to this valuable prisoner. We may never know the answers to the questions. There are some who support the government conspiracy line – others think it may simply have been an ambitious plan by a small number of Catholics that went very badly wrong for them all. Gunpowder Plot - Facts & Summary - HISTORY.com Google Gunpowder Plot Discovered At about midnight on the night of November 4-5, Sir Thomas Knyvet, a justice of the peace, found Guy Fawkes lurking in a cellar under the Parliament building and ordered the premises searched. Thirty-six barrels of gunpowder were found, and Fawkes was taken into custody. After being tortured, Fawkes revealed he was a participant in an English Catholic conspiracy to annihilate England’s Protestant government and replace it with Catholic leadership. Did You Know?

From 1604 to 1611, King James I sponsored an English translation of the Bible that became known as the Authorized King James Version. What became known as the Gunpowder Plot was organized by Robert Catesby, an English Catholic whose father had been persecuted by Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603) for refusing to conform to the Church of England. Guy Fawkes had converted to Catholicism, and his religious zeal led him to fight in the army of Catholic Spain in the Protestant Netherlands. Catesby and the handful of other plotters rented a cellar that extended under the House of Lords building, and Fawkes planted the gunpowder there. However, as the November 5 opening meeting of Parliament approached, Lord Monteagle (1575-1622), the brother-in-law of one of the conspirators, received an anonymous letter warning him not to attend Parliament on November 5. Monteagle alerted the government, and hours before the attack was to have taken place Fawkes and the explosives were found. By torturing Fawkes, King James’ government learned the identities of his co-conspirators.

During the next few weeks, English authorities killed or captured all the plotters and put the survivors on trial Gunpowder Plot: Aftermath Fawkes and the other surviving chief conspirators were sentenced to be hanged, drawn and quartered in London. Moments before the start of his execution, on January 31, 1606, Fawkes jumped from a ladder while climbing to the gallows, breaking his neck and dying. Following the failed Gunpowder Plot, new laws were instituted in England that eliminated the right of Catholics to vote, among other repressive restrictions. Guy Fawkes Night In 1606, Parliament established November 5 as a day of public thanksgiving. Guy Fawkes Night (also referred to as Guy Fawkes Day and Bonfire Night) now is celebrated annually across Great Britain on November 5 in remembrance of the Gunpowder Plot. As dusk falls, villagers and city dwellers across Britain light bonfires, set off fireworks and burn effigies of Fawkes.

Tags Guy Fawkes Night 2016: The history behind Bonfire Night and facts about the 5th of November gunpowder plot - Mirror Online News Guy Fawkes Night 2016: The history behind Bonfire Night and facts about the 5th of November gunpowder plot Who is Guy Fawkes, how did he die and why do we celebrate Bonfire Night? Everything you need to know about Fireworks Night Share Click to playTap to play The video will start in 8Cancel Play now Get daily updates directly to your inbox + Subscribe Thank you for subscribing! Could not subscribe, try again laterInvalid Email He's world famous thanks to his distinctive moustached face, which has been adopted as a mask by anti capitalists , but Guy Fawkes is best known for failing to blow up Westminster Palace. On November 5, 1605, Guy was foiled as he plotted to destroy the Houses of Parliament during state opening and kill all inside it - including the King - in what became known as the Gunpowder Plot. But aside from that, what do we know about the conspirator who was just 35 when he died?

He was born on April 13th 1570 in Stonegate in York, and was educated at St. Peter's School in York, preferring to be called Guido Fawkes. As a boy he lived near York with his father Edward and his mother Edith. Read More Bonfire Night 2016 events: Fireworks displays in London and across the UK Failed: The Gunpowder Plot conspirators (Photo: Getty) His father was a Protestant and worked as a solicitor for the religious court of the church. However, in 1579 he died and three years later his mother remarried a man called Denis Bainbridge, a Catholic. So the young Guy converted. Video Loading Share this video Watch Next Converting to Catholicism in those days was a big deal, as the ruling religion was the Church of England, which would not tolerate Roman Catholicism. It was incredibly hard to worship, so devotees were driven underground - and it was from that oppression that the plot sprung. There have been rumours that Guy met and married Maria Pulleyn in 1590 – but there are no parish records to show this, so it is open to dispute.

Relic: A lantern belonging to Guy Fawkes (Photo: Getty) So fervent were Guy's religious beliefs that he first choose to leave Protestant England and enlist in the Spanish army in Holland in the Eighty Years War. There he won a reputation for great courage and cool determination and this is where he gained experience with explosives, and also where he decided to call himself Guido - probably because it sounded Spanish. Video Loading Share this video Watch Next In 1604 at Ostend, Guy met another Englishman called Thomas Winter, who had also been in Spain trying to drum up support for English Catholics. As the two travelled back to London, Thomas told Guy that he and his friends - including Yorkshiremen John and Christopher Wright, from Welwick, and Robert Catesby - were going to take action, but needed the help of a military man who would not be recognised by the authorities. Caught: The arrest of Guy Fawkes in the cellars of Parliament (Photo: Rex) Guy was not the mastermind behind the plot despite his subsequent fame – that was Warwickshire-born Robert Catesby, the son of a persecuted Roman Catholic.

Catesby, a wealthy man, knew most of his co-conspirators through a network of friendships with various Roman Catholic families. The exception was Guy, who he likely to have met when he was briefly employed as a footman by Anthony Browne, 2nd Lord Montague - a family which Catesby's sister had married into. October 18, 1605, is a crucial date with regards to the conspiracy as it is when the conspirators discussed how Catholic peers might be spared from the planned explosion. Crime and punishment: The execution of Guy Fawkes and associates (Photo: Getty) This led to the famed ‘Monteagle Letter’ written on October 26 to catholic MP William Parker, the 4th Baron Monteagle, warning him not to come near Westminster. In order to get close enough to their targets a cellar below the Houses of Parliament was rented by the members of the plot, which was filled with 36 barrels of gunpowder. Read More Who is Guy Fawkes? There was enough to completely destroy the building and damage buildings within a one mile radius of it.

The plot was undone when the anonymous letter sent to the Baron of Monteagle, warning him not to go to the House of Lords, was made public. Famed: Guy Fawkes (Photo: Getty) This led to a search of Westminster Palace being ordered and in the early hours of November 5, Guy was discovered guarding the explosives. Initially he pretended to be a servant and said the wood belonged to his master Thomas Percy but when this was reported to the King, and the fact that Percy was a Catholic, the King ordered a second search. The gunpowder was found and Guy was arrested. During his involvement in the Gunpowder Plot, Fawkes called himself John Johnson and when he was arrested and asked to give his name, this is the name he gave. Shortly after being found early in the morning of November 5, the Privy Council met in the King's bedchamber and Fawkes was brought in under guard and asked explain why he wanted to kill him and blow up Parliament. Tradition: The Yeoman of the Guard prepares to carry out a search of the vaults below Westminster (Photo: Rex) He answered that he regarded the King as a disease since he had been excommunicated by the Pope.

Asked why he he needed such a huge quantity of gunpowder, he apparently said: "To blow you Scotch beggars back to your own native mountains!" Guy was sent to the Tower of London. King James indicated in a letter of 6 November that "The gentler tortours are to be first used unto him, and so by degrees proceeding to the worst, and so God speed your goode worke" And over the next four days, he was questioned and tortured on the “rack” and eventually confessed and gave the names of his conspirators. His signature on the written confession after torture, which is still held by the National Archives, was very faint and weak, and another taken a few days later was much bolder indicating how weakened he must have been by torture. Heritage: Bonfire Night celebrations in Lewes (Photo: Getty) Fawkes and others involved were tried on January 31st 1606 and then sentenced to be hung, drawn and quartered in the Old Palace Yard in Westminster. The Attorney General Sir Edward Coke told the court that each of the condemned would be drawn backwards to his death, by a horse, his head near the ground.

They were to be "put to death halfway between heaven and earth as unworthy of both". Their genitals would be cut off and burnt before their eyes, and their bowels and hearts removed. They would then be decapitated, and the dismembered parts of their bodies displayed so that they might become "prey for the fowls of the air". View gallery But Guy escaped this horrific fate, as immediately before his execution he jumped from the scaffold where he was to be hanged and broke his neck, thus avoiding the agony of the mutilation. He also did not have his body parts distributed to "the four corners of the kingdom", to be displayed as a warning to other would-be traitors. Despite being involved in what is basically a terrorist plot, Guy Fawkes was named the 30th Greatest Briton in a poll conducted by the BBC in 2002. Video Loading Guy Fawkes - History Learning Site History Learning Site historylearningsite.co.uk . The History Learning Site , 17 Mar 2015. 16 Aug 2016.

Guy Fawkes is the name most associated with the 1605 Gunpowder Plot – the attempt by Guy Fawkes and others like Thomas Wintour, Everard Digby and Thomas Percy to blow up the king, James I, and members of Parliament. Guy Fawkes was literally caught on the spot and a ‘guy’ is still burned on bonfires – lit to celebrate the ‘miraculous’ survival of James I. Guy Fawkes was born on April 13th, 1570 at Stonegate in Yorkshire. Fawkes was the only son of Edward Fawkes and his wife Edith. He went to the Free School of St. Peter’s and among the other pupils there were Christopher and John Wright. Fawkes was tutored by John Pulleyn who some at the time believed to be a Catholic. As with so many ordinary people living at this time, the early years of Fawkes are clouded with mystery. If he had not found fame or infamy in 1605, few would have been bothered.

There are some secondary sources that state that Fawkes married a Maria Pulleyn in 1590 – but the information for this did not come from parish records so such claims are open to dispute. It is also thought that Fawkes found employment as a footman – his employer was Anthony Browne, 2nd Lord Monteagle. It is thought that Guy Fawkes left England in 1593 or 1594 for Flanders. Here he joined the Spanish Army, which at the time was under the command of the Archduke Albert of Austria who later became governor of the Netherlands. Fawkes clearly impressed senior officers in the Spanish Army. In 1596, the Spanish took Calais and Fawkes held a position of command during this campaign. Fawkes was described as a man of “excellent good natural parts, very resolute and universally learned." Other references refer to Fawkes’ “virtue" and “nobility". Others noted his religious devotion and his punctual attendance at religious ceremonies. By around 1600, Fawkes was using Guido as a Christian name instead of Guy.

In 1603, Fawkes left Archduke Albert’s forces and was granted permission to go to Spain. Here he wanted to enlighten Philip III as to the true standing of Catholics in England. While on this visit he met up again with Christopher Wright. It is believed that the two spent time devising a plan for a Spanish invasion of England on the death of Elizabeth I. However, any chance of Spanish support for such a venture was minimal as the Spanish were still very much affected by the disaster of the 1588 Spanish Armada – a calamitous defeat that had left deep scars in Spanish society. From Spain, Fawkes went to Brussels. Here he met Thomas Wintour (Winter). In his signed confession after his arrest, though it was signed under the duress of torture, Fawkes claimed that it was in Brussels that Wintour told him of his intention to kill James I. By May 1604, Fawkes had met up with Thomas Wintour, Christopher Wright, Robert Catesby, John Wright and Thomas Percy. They are said to have taken an oath at the Duck and Drake inn in the Strand in London that was to lead to the Gunpowder Plot .

The Jesuit priest, John Gerard, sanctified the oath in another room at the inn. Now Fawkes became ‘John Johnson’ who was the servant to Thomas Percy. Probably in March 1605, the conspirators hired a cellar beneath Parliament. The cellar, on the advice of Fawkes, was filled with barrels of gunpowder that were hidden beneath iron bars and faggots. Fawkes returned to Flanders possibly to let the relevant parties know how far advanced was the plan. In August 1605, Fawkes returned to London and he went to the cellar to check on the gunpowder that had been stored there. The 18th October 1605 is a crucial date with regards to the conspiracy. The plotters met on this day. They discussed how Catholic peers might be spared from the planned explosion. This led to the famed ‘Monteagle Letter’ written in October 26th to William Parker, the 4th Baron Monteagle. A number of the conspirators were concerned when the contents of letter became known. However, they believed that the letter was so vague that they could continue with their plans.

On October 30th 1605, Fawkes once again inspected the gunpowder stored in the cellar. On November 3rd, the conspirators met in London – though not Fawkes – to make plans for what should happen after the explosion. All of them made plans for a speedy exit from London. Fawkes was due to flee to Flanders after the explosion having set a slow fuse. On November 4th, the cellars of Parliament were searched. The Lord Chamberlain, Thomas Howard, Earl of Suffolk led the search party. They found Fawkes and decided that he was a “bad fellow" and reported their findings to James I. The cellar was searched again. Between both searches, Fawkes had left the cellar to seek out Percy to warn him about what had occurred. Fawkes then returned to the cellar. It was during the second search that Fawkes was found again in the cellar. Fawkes was arrested. On him, the arresting party found slow matches and touchwood. Early on November 5th, 1605, Fawkes was questioned. One of his questioners was James I.

Fawkes claimed that he was ‘John Johnson’ but he made clear his real intention when he said that he wanted to blow a Scotsman back to Scotland. On November 6th, James I gave permission for the torture of Fawkes to progress from the “gentler tortures" to the “worst". James wrote “et sic per gradus ad ima tenditur". He told the torturers “God speede youre worke." Fawkes broke his silence on November 7 th . He confessed that he was Guy Fawkes and that five men were involved in the plot. On November 8 th , he gave an account of how the conspiracy was to progress and on November 9 th , he named the other conspirators. No evidence exists as to what tortures were used on Fawkes but it is generally accepted that the torture that most broke him was the feared rack. The trial of the conspirators started on January 27th 1606. There was never any doubt that those arrested were guilty. On Friday 31st 1606, Fawkes was taken to the Old Palace Yard in Westminster – he had been sentenced to be hung, drawn and quartered.

He was meant to be the last of the conspirators to be executed. It is generally accepted that Fawkes escaped the butchery of this by breaking his neck during the hanging process. While the process of drawing and quartering was carried out, Fawkes was dead. He was to go into history as the man who tried to bring down a monarchy. Every November 5th, people in England are asked to “remember, remember, the 5th of November, gunpowder, treason and plot." Effigies of Guy Fawkes are burned throughout the land, and in Lewes, East Sussex, an effigy of the pope is traditionally burned to further remind people of the Catholic aspect to the plot. BBC - iWonder - The Gunpowder Plot: Three years in the making The Gunpowder Plot: Three years in the making 1601-1603 30-31 January 1606The plotters are hanged, drawn and quartered The greatest terror plot We all know the story of Guy Fawkes and how he was caught as he tried to blow up the House of Lords with gunpowder.

But it took more than one man on a single night to nearly change the course of British history. Thirteen conspirators conceived a terrorist plot on an unprecedented scale. They would blow up Parliament, which would wipe out the King and the whole establishment and trigger a popular uprising. Plotter Thomas Wintour's confession reveals all. 1601-1603 The plotters gather You need to have JavaScript enabled to view this clip. Meet the plotters: Leader Catesby, Wright the swordsman, Percy the insider, Wintour the diplomat and Fawkes the bomb maker. Richard Lintern narrates. Transcript (PDF 248k) A circle of young, dashing and disenchanted Catholic gentlemen meet regularly to discuss the future of England. Unlike the majority of Catholics who were loyal to the Crown, they hope to overthrow the Protestant monarchy. Some of them take part in the failed rebellion by the Earl of Essex against the government of Elizabeth I. They are imprisoned but later released after paying heavy fines. A new Protestant monarch James I of England did not reverse the anti-Catholic laws following his coronation.

When Elizabeth I dies, her third cousin, James VI of Scotland, becomes also King James I of England. He announces plans to unite his two realms but faces strong opposition both north and south of the border. Although James is a Protestant he is the son of the late Catholic, Mary Queen of Scots. Catholics are hopeful that her son will be more sympathetic to their plight. Catesby starts planning the Gunpowder Plot You need to have JavaScript enabled to view this clip. Robert Catesby reveals his grand plan to Thomas Wintour in this dramatisation from BBC Two's Gunpowder 5/11: The Greatest Terror Plot. Transcript (PDF 149k) James I orders Catholic priests to leave the country. He continues the practice of fining Catholics who won’t attend the Church of England services. In February, ringleader Robert Catesby, his cousin Thomas Wintour and John Wright meet in London and start their plans. Wintour travels to Flanders, under Spanish rule at the time, to seek Spain’s support. [Catesby] had bethought him of a way... to deliver us from all our bonds, and without any foreign help to replant again the Catholic religion.

Thomas Wintour's written confession Guy Fawkes is recruited as the explosives expert You need to have JavaScript enabled to view this clip. Thomas Wintour recruits Guy Fawkes in Flanders. Transcript (PDF 150k) After years as bitter rivals Spain wants peace with England and will not aid the plotters. While he’s in Flanders, Thomas Wintour meets Guy Fawkes, who went to school with the plotter John Wright. Fawkes, who goes by the Italian name of Guido, is fighting for the Spanish army in Flanders and is an explosives expert. He is an English nationalist who hates the Scots and any talk of union. The two men sail back to England. Meanwhile the King and Parliament introduce legislation refusing Catholics the right to receive rent or make wills. 20 May 1604 The plotters swear an oath of secrecy You need to have JavaScript enabled to view this clip. The plotters, who are all devout men, swear an oath to each other on a religious primer.

Transcript (PDF 148k) Thomas Wintour and Guy Fawkes meet ringleader Robert Catesby and his friend and fellow plotter John Wright in a London pub. At the Duck and Drake Inn they are joined by Wright's brother-in-law Thomas Percy. Together these plotters create a core of five. They swear an oath of secrecy on a religious primer. June-October 1604 Thomas Percy secures a house near Parliament You need to have JavaScript enabled to view this clip. Guy Fawkes poses as Thomas Percy's servant John Johnson. The gunpowder is smuggled to Westminster You need to have JavaScript enabled to view this clip. How did the plotters manage to pack explosives under the House of Lords? Follow the gunpowder trail. Richard Lintern narrates. Transcript (PDF 209k) The plotters' tunnel reaches the main foundations of the House of Lords. Digging slows down as they fear the noise may alert guards. The gunpowder that was in storage across the river in Catesby’s house is transported to Percy’s house where the entrance of the tunnel is. The plotters receive funding from Thomas Wintour’s brother Robert.

Their brother-in-law John Grant joins the plot. He’s put in charge of preparing horses and weapons for a Midlands uprising. The Cellar was to be let, viewing the commodity thereof for our own purpose, Percy went and hired the same for yeerly rent. Guy Fawkes' confession, extracted under torture 25 March 1605 A vault is rented under the House of Lords You need to have JavaScript enabled to view this clip. The plotters secure a vault directly under the House of Lords. Transcript (PDF 149k) Thomas Percy is able to rent a vault that is directly under the House of Lords so the plotters no longer need to carry on tunnelling. Instead, Guy Fawkes starts moving the barrels of gunpowder and kindling to the vault, always at night, and conceals them. Summer 1605 The plotters bring in extra money men You need to have JavaScript enabled to view this clip. Two new recruits join the plotters. I say they shall receive a terrible blow this parliament and yet they shall not see who hurts them.

Unsigned letter received by Lord Monteagle on 26 October 1605 30 October 1605 The plotters continue despite the new risk You need to have JavaScript enabled to view this clip. Robert Catesby accuses Francis Tresham of sending the letter to Lord Monteagle. Transcript (PDF 224k) Robert Catesby suspects his cousin Francis Tresham of sending the letter. He confronts him and calls him a traitor. Tresham denies the allegations but urges Catesby to now abandon the plot. Catesby gets Guy Fawkes to check on the cellar. Nothing has been moved. The plotters are reassured. 1-3 November 1605 King James I is shown the letter and orders an investigation The letter sent to Lord Monteagle warns of a 'terrible blowe this parliament' will receive. King James is shown the Monteagle letter by his chief minister Robert Cecil. The King suspects the words ‘terrible blowe’ hint at the use of gunpowder and orders an investigation. The Privy Council discuss how they can search the parliament building without warning off the conspirators.

Catesby is unaware of this and decides the plot should go ahead. 4 November 1605 The king's men search Parliament's vaults Topfoto A search party discovers Guy Fawkes loitering near the vault A covert search of the Parliament vaults takes place. The search party spot a large amount of firewood in a cellar. The attendant, Guy Fawkes, under the alias John Johnson, tells them that it belongs to his master, royal bodyguard Thomas Percy. 5 November 1605 Guy Fawkes is arrested and questioned Getty Guy Fawkes' typical signature (above) and following torture (below). He adopted the Italian version of his name 'Guido'. The king orders a second search. Just after midnight, Fawkes is found dressed for departure and in possession of fuses and matches. He’s arrested. A more thorough search of the cellar now reveals 36 gunpowder barrels. Fawkes is dragged to King James for interrogation. He still maintains he’s called John Johnson and denies any knowledge of the barrels. The King authorises the use of torture to extract a confession.

Johnson [Fawkes] … had placed Thirty-six Barrels of Gunpowder in the Vault under the House, with a Purpose to blow King, and the whole Company. Journal of the House of Commons, 5 November 1605 6-7 November 1605 The plotters flee to the Midlands Mary Evans The plotters flee to Dunchurch in the Midlands on 5 November and steal horses from Warwick that evening. Most of the plotters in London, including Thomas Wintour and Thomas Percy, flee to Dunchurch in Warwickshire. They move across the Midlands trying to raise men but the planned uprising comes to nothing. The plotters seize horses from Warwick, but Princess Elizabeth is then whisked from a manor nearby to safety in Coventry. Catesby decides to make a last stand in the Midlands and persuades the key plotters to join him. The gentler tortours are to be first used unto him... and so by degrees proceeding to the worst, and so God speed your goode worke.

King James I on Guy Fawkes 8 November, 1605 Catesby and Percy die in a shoot-out You need to have JavaScript enabled to view this clip. Robert Catesby and his fellow plotters vow to die for their cause. Transcript (PDF 149k) The remaining plotters meet at Holbeche House in Staffordshire. The gunpowder they had with them was damp and they try to dry it by the fire. It explodes and John Grant, Thomas Wintour’s cousin, is blinded. The house is surrounded by 200 of the Sheriff of Worcestershire’s men. Catesby, Percy and the Wright brothers die in the subsequent gun fight. The rest are wounded but captured alive. They are taken to the Tower of London for interrogation. November-December 1605 The surviving plotters make their confessions The Tower of London, HRP Plotter Ambrose Rookwood was held at Martin Tower during his imprisonment where he carved his name. Fawkes makes a confession under torture on 9 November. It is trumped by a later fuller confession by Thomas Wintour during interrogation at the Tower of London.

Thomas Wintour incriminates all the other plotters apart from his brother Robert. Thomas Percy’s patron, the Earl of Northumberland, is arrested, but with Percy dead there is no-one to implicate or clear him. He will remain imprisoned for the next 16 years. Frequently Asked Questions: The Gunpowder Plot - UK Parliament Frequently Asked Questions Four staff networks for people to discuss and consider issues. Working in Parliament Find and register for Parliament's free events and training sessions Have your say See some of the sights you’ll encounter on a tour of Parliament Planning an event? Frequently Asked Questions: The Gunpowder Plot Interesting facts and information relating to the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. Where can I find further information about the Gunpowder Plot? What exactly was the Gunpowder Plot? The Gunpowder Plot is the name given to the conspiracy to blow up the Houses of Parliament on 5 November 1605, which was discovered the night before. The origins of the plot remain unclear and it is doubtful that the truth will ever be known. Generations of historians accepted it was an attempt to re-establish the Catholic religion.

Others, in more recent times, have suspected that the plot was the work of a group of agents-provocateurs, anxious to discredit the Jesuits and reinforce the ascendancy of the Protestant religion. Who was involved in the Plot? The plot centred around five conspirators, Robert Catesby , Thomas Winter , Thomas Percy , John Wright and Guy (or Guido) Fawkes , later joined by Robert Keyes and seven other known accomplices, who determined to blow up of the House of Lords in 1605. The detonation was to take place on State Opening day, when the King, Lords and Commons would all be present in the Lords Chamber. There is no doubt that Fawkes, though remembered wrongly as the principal conspirator, was in fact a minor cog in the wheel. Born in 1570 at York, he was brought up as a Protestant. In 1593, he enlisted as a mercenary in the Spanish Army in the Netherlands - he became a Catholic shortly before that date. He was at the capture of Calais in 1595, where he apparently distinguished himself greatly.

He may have been chosen for his skills when it was planned to tunnel under the House, and it was an advantage that, having been abroad for some time, he was not known in London. Find out more in Living Heritage: People behind the Gunpowder plot How was the Plot discovered? The plot was discovered, in the official version, through an anonymous letter to Lord Monteagle, a Catholic, warning him not to attend the State Opening. Whether the letter was genuine or a forgery is uncertain. In any event, on the 4 November an initial search was made of Parliament (initially, it is said by Monteagle and the Lord Chamberlain, Suffolk). The cellar was thoroughly searched at midnight and Fawkes found with the gunpowder. He was then arrested. Find out more in Living Heritage: The Gunpowder plot and its discovery What happened to Guy Fawkes and the other conspirators? All the co-conspirators (except for Thomas Winter's brother, Robert) were killed or arrested by 12 November and taken to the Tower of London. They were probably subjected to extensive torture which formed part of the punishment for treason at the time.

Fawkes and the conspirators who remained alive, were tried for high treason in Westminster Hall on 27 January 1606 and all were convicted and sentenced to death. The executions took place on 30 and 31 January (Fawkes was executed on 31) and included hanging, drawing and quartering. The heads and other portions of the conspirator's bodies were set up at different points around Westminster and London. Find out more in Living Heritage: Aftermath of the Gunpowder Plot How is the Gunpowder Plot remembered? The 5 November is variously called 'Firework Night', 'Bonfire Night' or 'Guy Fawkes Day'. An Act of Parliament (3 James I, cap 1) was passed to appoint 5 November in each year as a day of thanksgiving for 'the joyful day of deliverance'. The Act remained in force until 1859. It is still the custom for Britain on, or around, 5 November to let off fireworks and children to make guys - effigies supposedly of Fawkes.

Institutions and towns may hold firework displays and bonfire parties, and the same is done, on a smaller scale in back gardens throughout the country. The year 2005 marked the 400 anniversary of the plot with an exhibition The Gunpowder Plot: Parliament and Treason held in Westminster Hall. Are the Houses of Parliament still searched before State Opening? The Houses of Parliament are still searched by the Yeomen of the Guard just before the State Opening (normally held in November since 1928) to ensure no latter-day Fawkes is concealed in the cellars, though this is retained as a picturesque custom rather than a serious anti-terrorist precaution (for which, of course, there are proper means). Bonfire night 2016: Who was Guy Fawkes and where can you see the best firework displays? Bonfire night 2016: Who was Guy Fawkes and where can you see the best firework displays?

Watch | Things you might not know about fireworks 01:06 Keely Lockhart 6 November 2016 • 2:14pm November 5 is the day when Britons everywhere set fire to things and let things off. But why? What is bonfire night? November 5 - which this year falls on a Saturday - commemorates the failure of the November 1605 Gunpowder Plot by a gang of Roman Catholic activists led by Warwickshire-born Robert Catesby. When Protestant King James I acceded to the throne, English Catholics had hoped that the persecution they had felt for over 45 years under Queen Elizabeth I would finally end, and they would be granted the freedom to practice their religion. When this didn't transpire, a group of conspirators resolved to assassinate the King and his ministers by blowing up the Palace of Westminster during the state opening of Parliament. The arrest of Guy Fawkes in the cellars of Parliament pictured in a wood engraving.

Credit: Universal History Archive/Un/REX Guy (Guido) Fawkes, from York, and his fellow conspirators , having rented out a house close to the Houses of Parliament, managed to smuggle 36 barrels of gunpowder into a cellar of the House of Lords - enough to completely destroy the building. (Physicists from the Institute of Physics later calculated that the 2,500kg of gunpowder beneath Parliament would have obliterated an area 500 metres from the centre of the explosion). The scheme began to unravel when an anonymous letter was sent to William Parker, the 4th Baron Monteagle, warning him to avoid the House of Lords. Guy Fawkes tried and failed to blow up Parliament in the Gunpowder Plot The letter (which could well have been sent by Lord Monteagle's brother-in-law Francis Tresham), was made public and this led to a search of Westminster Palace in the early hours of November 5. Explosive expert Fawkes, who had been left in the cellars to set off the fuse, was caught when a group of guards discovered him at the last moment.

Fawkes was arrested, sent to the Tower of London and tortured until he gave up the names of his fellow plotters. Lord Monteagle was rewarded with £500 plus £200 worth of lands for his service in protecting the crown. 7 things you never knew about Guy Fawkes Who were the Gunpowder Plot conspirators? Guy Fawkes , Thomas Bates, Robert and Thomas Wintour, Thomas Percy, Christopher and John Wright, Francis Tresham, Everard Digby, Ambrose Rookwood, Robert Keyes, Hugh Owen, John Grant and the man who organised the whole plot - Robert Catesby. The conspirators were all either killed resisting capture or - like Fawkes - tried, convicted, and executed. The traditional death for traitors in 17th-century England was to be hanged, drawn and quartered in public. But this proved not to be the 35-year-old Fawkes's fate. As he awaited his punishment on the gallows, Fawkes leapt off the platform to avoid having his testicles cut off, his stomach opened and his guts spilled out before his eyes.

Mercifully for him, he died from a broken neck but his body was subsequently quartered, and his remains were sent to "the four corners of the kingdom" as a warning to others. Bonfire Night | Did you know? The aftermath Following the failed plot, Parliament declared November 5th a national day of thanksgiving, and the first celebration of it took place in 1606. Following the plot, King James I sought to control non-conforming English Catholics in England. In May 1606, Parliament passed 'The Popish Recusants Act' which required any citizen to take an oath of allegiance denying the Pope's authority over the king. Observance of the 5th November Act, passed within months of the plot, made church attendance compulsory on that day and by the late 17th Century, the day had gained a reputation for riotousness and disorder and anti-Catholicism. William of Orange's birthday (November 4th) was also conveniently close. James I, King of England and Scotland.

Credit: Heritage Images/Corbis Guy Fawkes Day today The Houses of Parliament are still searched by the Yeomen of the Guard before the state opening, which has been held in November since 1928. The idea is to ensure no modern-day Guy Fawkes is hiding in the cellars with a bomb, although it is more ceremonial than serious. And they do it with lanterns. The cellar that Fawkes tried to blow up no longer exists. In 1834 it was destroyed in a fire which devastated the medieval Houses of Parliament. Read more: 33 things that happen every November 5 Bonfire night in the UK Guy Fawkes Day is celebrated in the United Kingdom, and in a number of countries that were formerly part of the British Empire, with fireworks, bonfires and parades. Straw dummies representing Fawkes are tossed on the bonfire, as well as those of contemporary political figures . Watch | David Cameron holding pig effigy paraded through UK town on Bonfire Night 00:25 Dummies have been burned on bonfires since as long ago as the 13th century, initially to drive away evil spirits.

Following the Gunpowder Plot, the focus of the sacrifices switched to Guy Fawkes' treason. Traditionally, these effigies called 'guys', are carried through the streets in the days leading up to Guy Fawkes Day and children ask passers-by for “a penny for the guy.” Today the word 'guy' is a synonym for 'a man' but originally it was a term for an "repulsive, ugly person" in reference to Fawkes. The fireworks represent the explosives that were never used by the plotters. In Ottery St Mary, south Devon, in a tradition dating from the 17th century, barrels soaked in tar are set alight and carried aloft through parts of the town by residents. Only Ottregians - those born in the town, or who have lived there for most of their lives - may carry a barrel. Lewes, in southeastern England, is also the site of annual celebration. Guy Fawkes Day there has a distinctly local flavour, involving six bonfire societies whose memberships are grounded in family history stretching back for generations. The only place in the UK that does not celebrate Guy Fawkes Night is his former school St. Peter’s in York.

They refuse to burn a guy out of respect for one of their own. What are the key events? Flaming Tar Barrels, Devon on Nov 5 Ottery St. Mary's famous Tar Barrels festival is not for the faint-hearted. Don't like crowds or being close to flames? This event isn't for you. Lewes, Sussex on Nov 5 Six individual processions, 17 burning crosses, and plenty of costumed revelry and fireworks - this is the biggest and the only proper bonfire night celebration left of its kind in the UK. Watch | The Tar Barrels of Ottery St. Mary 00:30 Alexandra Palace, London on Nov 4/5 Ally Pally's annual Fireworks Festival marks Bonfire Night with a bang and attracts around 50,000 visitors. After Dark, Sheffield on Nov 5th This event in the Don Valley Grass Bowl is Yorkshire’s big bonfire night event and attracts up to 20,000 people with fireworks set to music. Remember the firework code! Fireworks should be enjoyed at a safe distance and adults should deal with firework displays and the lighting of fireworks.

They should also take care of the safe disposal of fireworks once they have been used. Here are the 10 rules to follow Plan your firework display to make it safe and enjoyable. Keep fireworks in a closed box and use them one at a time. Read and follow the instructions on each firework using a torch if necessary. Light the firework at arm's length with a taper and stand well back. Keep naked flames, including cigarettes, away from fireworks. Never return to a firework once it has been lit. Don't put fireworks in pockets and never throw them. Direct any rocket fireworks well away from spectators. Never use paraffin or petrol on a bonfire. Make sure that the fire is out and surroundings are made safe before leaving. Watch | Bonfire Night: A father's guide to building a rocket 03:18 Make sure your pets are safe As Guy Fawkes night approaches, animal welfare groups have issued warnings to pet owners: this can be a frightening and even dangerous time of year for pets. Watch | Bonfire night: Firework displays that haven't gone to plan 01:11 Who invented fireworks?

During the 10th century a Chinese cook discovered how to make explosive black powder when he accidentally mixed three kitchen ingredients – potassium nitrate or saltpetre (a salt substitute used in the curing of meat), sulphur and charcoal. The cook noticed that if the concoction was burned when enclosed in the hollow of a bamboo shoot, there was a tremendous explosion. Fireworks arrived in Europe in the 14th century and were first produced by the Italians. The first recorded display was in Florence and the first recorded fireworks in England were at the wedding of King Henry VII in 1486. The word ‘bonfire’ is said to derive from 'bone-fire', from a time when the corpses of witches, heretics and other nonconformists were burned on a pyre instead of being buried in consecrated ground. Big bang theory In 2005, 1000kg (2204 pounds) of gunpowder stored in 36 wooden barrels was used to blow up a replica of the 1605 Westminster 'House of Parliament' to demonstrate the damage it might have caused.

'Anonymous' protests November 5th has become an important date globally now that political activists all over the world are wearing Guy Fawkes masks to protect their identity. These masks were inspired by Alan Moore's dystopian 'V for Vendetta', the 1988 graphic novel whose main character is loosely based on Guy Fawkes. Watch | London Million Mask March Descends Into Violence 00:08 There's a Guy Fawkes Island... Isla Guy Fawkes (also known as Guy Fawkes Island) is a collection of two crescent shaped islands and two small rocks north-west of Santa Cruz Island, in the Galápagos Islands, which are part of Ecuador. BBC - History - The Gunpowder Plot The Gunpowder Plot By Bruce Robinson Last updated 2011-03-29 The failed plot to assassinate James I and the ruling Protestant elite would, however unfairly, taint all English Catholics with treason for centuries to come. Who were the conspirators and what did they hope to achieve? On this page Print this page Disillusionment Spying and shoot-outs, treachery and torture, not to mention gruesome deaths. The Gunpowder Plot has it all.

Why were Catholics so bitter, and what did they hope to achieve? The year 1603 marked the end of an era. After 45 years on the English throne, Elizabeth I was dying. All signs suggested her successor would be James VI of Scotland, the son of Mary Queen of Scots - the queen who had been executed in 1587 on Elizabeth's orders. English Catholics were very excited. They had suffered severe persecution since 1570, when the Pope had excommunicated Elizabeth, releasing her subjects from their allegiance to her. The Spanish Armada of 1588 had made matters worse. To the Tudor State, all Catholics were potential traitors. They were forbidden to hear Mass, forced instead to attend Anglican services, with steep fines for those recusants who persistently refused. Yet rumours suggested James was more warmly disposed to Catholics than the dying Queen Elizabeth. His wife, Queen Anne of Denmark, was a Catholic, and James himself was making sympathetic noises. The crypto-Catholic Earl of Northumberland sent one of his staff, Thomas Percy, to act as his agent in Scotland. Percy's reports back optimistically suggested that Catholics might enjoy protection in James' England.

The early signs were encouraging. Upon his accession as James I of England (VI of Scotland), the new king ended recusancy fines and awarded important posts to the Earl of Northumberland and Henry Howard, another Catholic sympathiser. This relaxation led to considerable growth in the number of visible Catholics. Trying to juggle different religious demands, James was displeased at their increasing strength. The discovery in July 1603 of two small Catholic plots did not help. Although most Catholics were horrified, all were tainted by the threat of treason. Yet rumours suggested James was more warmly disposed to Catholics than the dying Queen Elizabeth. The situation deteriorated further at the Hampton Court Conference of January 1604. Trying to accommodate as many views as possible, James I expressed hostility against the Catholics in order to satisfy the Puritans, whose demands he could not wholly satisfy. In February he publicly announced his 'utter detestation' of Catholicism; within days all priests and Jesuits had been expelled and recusancy fines reintroduced. Although bitterly disappointed, most English Catholics prepared to swallow the imposition of the fines, and live their double lives as best they could. But this passive approach did not suit all.

Robert Catesby was a devout Catholic and familiar with the price of faith. His father had been imprisoned for harbouring a priest, and he himself had had to leave university without a degree, to avoid taking the Protestant Oath of Supremacy. Yet he possessed immense personal magnetism, crucial in recruiting and leading his small band of conspirators. Top The plotters The lower ground floor vault of the House of Lords where the gunpowder was stored © Their first meeting was on 20 May 1604. Catesby was joined by his friends Thomas Wintour, Jack Wright and Thomas Percy at the Duck and Drake, in the Strand. The fifth person was Guy Fawkes. Originally from York, he had been recruited in Flanders, where he had been serving in the Spanish Army. They discussed their plan to blow up Parliament House, and shortly afterwards leased a small house in the heart of Westminster, installing Fawkes as caretaker, under the alias of John Johnson. With Parliament successively postponed to 5 November 1605, over the following year the number of plotters gradually increased to ten.

Robert Keyes, Robert Wintour, John Grant and Kit Wright were all relatives, by blood or marriage, to one or more of the original five conspirators. As one of Catesby's servants, Thomas Bates' loyalty was equally firm. Fawkes was to light the fuse and escape to continental Europe. In March 1605 the group took out a lease on a ground-floor cellar close by the house they had rented from John Whynniard. The cellar lay directly underneath the House of Lords, and over the following months 36 barrels of gunpowder were moved in, enough to blow everything and everyone in the vicinity sky high, if ignited. Still hoping for foreign support, Fawkes travelled back to Flanders. Unsuccessful, he was also spotted by English spies. They reported back to Robert Cecil, Earl of Salisbury, James' first minister, and made the link between Fawkes and Catesby. Over the next two months Catesby recruited Ambrose Rookwood, as well as Francis Tresham and Sir Everard Digby. Both Rookwood and Digby were wealthy and owned large numbers of horses, essential for the planned uprising.

Tresham was Catesby's cousin through marriage, and was brother-in-law to two Catholic peers, Lords Stourton and Monteagle. Back in London in October, with only weeks to go, the final details were planned. Fawkes was to light the fuse and escape to continental Europe. To coincide with the explosion, Digby would lead a rising in the Midlands and kidnap King James's daughter, Princess Elizabeth, ready to install her as a puppet queen. In Europe, Fawkes would be arguing the plotters' case to continental governments, to secure their passive acceptance, even support. Top Discovery Copy of the 'anonymous' letter delivered to Lord Monteagle © Everything seemed ready. But on the night of 26 October, an anonymous letter was delivered to Lord Monteagle, warning him to avoid the opening of Parliament. He took the letter - generally thought to have come from Tresham - to Salisbury, who decided the best results would be achieved by striking at the last minute. Thomas Ward, one of Monteagle's servants, had warned the plotters of the letter. Undaunted, they returned to London, and on 4 November Percy visited his patron, Northumberland, to sniff out any potential danger.

Smelling nothing, they pressed on with the plan, and Catesby, Wright and Bates set off for the Midlands. All seemed well. It wasn't. The waiting over, Salisbury ordered Westminster to be searched. The first search spotted a suspiciously large amount of firewood in a certain cellar. The second, at around midnight, found Fawkes. Immediately arrested, he gave only his alias, but Percy's name had already been linked with the cellar and house, and a warrant for his arrest was immediately issued. The plotters escaped from London for the Midlands. Rookwood was the fastest, covering 30 miles in two hours on a single horse, a considerable achievement that enabled him to catch up with, and warn, his co-conspirators. ...his silence had prompted James I to give permission to use torture, gradually 'proceeding to the worst'. These six plotters - Catesby, Rookwood, the Wright brothers, Percy and Bates - rode on towards Warwickshire. As the first bonfires of thanksgiving for the discovery of the plot were being lit in London, 'John Johnson' was being interrogated.

By 6 November his silence had prompted James I to give permission to use torture, gradually 'proceeding to the worst'. Even this, however, failed to extract any useful information for two more days. In the Midlands, the plotters raided Warwick Castle. By now they were wanted men and, with their stolen horses, they rode to Holbeche House in Staffordshire, which they thought would be more easily defended. On arrival, they discovered that their gunpowder was soaked, and laid it in front of the fire to dry. They should have known better: the ensuing explosion blinded John Grant, rendering him useless for the inevitable confrontation. This came quickly, in the form of 200 men led by Sir Richard Walsh, the High Sheriff of Worcestershire. They arrived at Holbeche House in the morning of 8 November. The battle was short. Catesby, the Wrights and Percy died from their wounds; Thomas Wintour, Rookwood and Grant were captured. Five others remained at large. Top High treason Guy Fawkes being interrogated by King James VI of Scotland and I of England © Not for long, however. By December, only Robert Wintour was still free.

Furthermore, under interrogation Bates had admitted confessing the details of the plot to the Jesuit priest Father Tesimond. With the Jesuits now implicated in the 'Powder Treason', the government set about finding them, ransacking scores of Catholic homes in the process. To further capitalise on the widespread sense of shock, the 'King's Book' - containing James's own account of what had happened, as well as the confessions of Fawkes and Thomas Wintour - was rushed through, appearing in late November. Francis Tresham died of illness in the Tower in December, and Robert Wintour was captured in the New Year. On 27 January 1606 the trials began. Westminster Hall was crowded as spectators listened to Sir Edward Coke's speech. Under instructions from Salisbury, the Attorney General lay principal responsibility on the Jesuits, before describing the traditional punishment for traitors: hanging, drawing and quartering. They would be hanged until half-dead, upon which their genitals would be cut off and burned in front of them. Still alive, their bowels and heart would be removed.

Finally they would be decapitated and dismembered; their body parts would be publicly displayed, eaten by the birds as they decomposed. ...before describing the traditional punishment for traitors: hanging, drawing and quartering. Only Digby pleaded guilty, and his trial followed that of the other seven. All were found guilty of high treason. Digby, Robert Wintour, Bates and Grant were executed on 30 January, with Thomas Wintour, Rookwood, Keyes and Fawkes dying the next day. Yet the repercussions rumbled on. Some small fry were tortured in the Tower and, tainted by Percy, the Earl of Northumberland was imprisoned there until 1621. However, Monteagle's letter - now kept in the Public Records Office - rewarded him with an annuity of around £700 per year. It was ordinary Catholics, however, who suffered the longest as a result of the Gunpowder Plot. New laws were passed preventing them from practising law, serving as officers in the Army or Navy, or voting in local or Parliamentary elections.

Furthermore, as a community they would be blackened for the rest of the century, blamed for the Great Fire of London and unfairly fingered in the Popish Plot of 1678. Thirteen plotters certainly proved an unlucky number for British Catholics: stigmatised for centuries, it was not until 1829 that they were again allowed to vote. People behind the Gunpowder plot - UK Parliament People behind the Gunpowder plot Robert Keyes and John Grant People behind the Gunpowder plot Guy Fawkes is the name associated above all others with the infamous Gunpowder Plot of 1605. Perhaps because he was the one caught red-handed, he’s become our Bonfire Night 'celebrity'. But what of the other men involved?

Question: What "plot" was Guy Fawkes involved in?
Answer: The Gunpowder Plot