“Remember, remember the fifth of November…” November 5, 1605 was the date of the infamous Gunpowder Plot, an attempt by several Catholic dissenters to blow up Parliament and assassinate King James I. Their plan was foiled when the plotters sent a letter to William Parker, 4th Baron Monteagle, warning him to stay home that day. A search of the Palace of Westminster discovered the gunpowder and plotter Guy Fawkes guarding it. He and his co-conspirators were tried and executed, while Edward Montague suggested Guy Fawkes Day as a holiday to commemorate the triumph of the monarchy. Check out ten facts you may not know about the holiday and the man who inspired it.
A Big Boom
When Fawkes was captured, security found him with 36 barrels of gunpowder. This is the equivalent of 2500kg of explosives. Had the conspirators pulled it off, they would have destroyed everything in a 490m radius, including both houses of Parliament and Westminster Hall. Windows would have been blown out up to half a mile away.
No Celebration Here
The only place that officially does not celebrate Guy Fawkes Day is St. Peter’s School in York. Fawkes attended the school as a child and they will not burn him in effigy as a sign of respect for a former pupil.
What’s in a name?
Guy Fawkes is also sometimes referred to as Guido Fawkes, a name he picked up while fighting as a soldier for the Spanish against the Dutch.
We Have Ways of Making You Talk
Guy Fawkes is one of the Tower of London’s more famous prisoners. He was taken there after being discovered and tortured for four days until he gave up the names of his co-plotters. The signature on his confession is very weak, as opposed to a stronger signature on a later confession, displaying the physical toll the interrogators exacted on him.
A Not-So-Quiet Pint
The five conspirators first met at the Duck and Drake Pub in the Strand, though they joined by others as the conspiracy grew. While Guy is most well-known the other plotters were: John Wright, Christopher Wright, Thomas Wintour, Robert Wintour, Thomas Percy, Robert Keyes, Thomas Bates, John Grant, Ambrose Rookwood, Sir Everard Digby, and Francis Tresham.
Warding Off Guys
While bonfires and fireworks are two of the primary ways of celebrating, effigies of Fawkes, also known as “Guys”, are also burned on Bonfire Night. Effigies have been burned as far back as the 13th Century, originally to ward off evil spirits.
Clever Alias
When the Yeomen of the Guard caught Fawkes, he tried to give them a fake name when quested—John Johnson.
Not Helping Yourself
After being caught, Fawkes was taken to James’ bedchamber to be questioned by the king himself. When asked why he wanted to blow up King James and Parliament, Fawkes responded calmly that he thought of the king as a disease as the English monarchy had been excommunicated. When asked why the plotters used so much gunpowder, Fawkes allegedly responded “To blow you Scotch beggars back to your own native mountains!” James was apparently impressed by the response, but not so much that Fawkes wasn’t tortured and executed.
A Real Page-Turner
Ever the savvy publicity hound, King James I seized upon the Gunpowder Plot to write his own account, “The King’s Book”, along with published account of Fawkes’ and Thomas Wintour’s confessions. The book was published less than a month after Fawkes was arrested.
Protestants-Only
As a result of the Gunpowder Plot, Parliament passed anti-Catholic legislation that prevented Catholics from voting, practicing law, or serving as an officer in the Army or Navy. Catholics did not get the right to vote back until 1829.