Remember, Remember the fifth of November
The gunpowder treason and plot
I see no reason why gunpowder treason
should ever be forgot

Guy Fawkes (1570-1606), born in York. A Protestant by birth, he became a Roman Catholic after the marriage of his widowed mother to a man of Catholic background and sympathies. In 1593 he enlisted in the Spanish army in Flanders and in 1596 participated in the capture of the city of Calais by the Spanish in their war with Henry IV of France. He became implicated with Thomas Winter and others in the Gunpowder Plot to blow up Parliament as a protest against the anti-Roman Catholic laws.

The Gunpowder Plot

The conspiracy was to blow up King James I and the assembled two Houses of Parliament at the State Opening of Parliament in November 1605. It was the work of a small group of Roman Catholic gentry, mainly in the west Midlands, who were angry that James VI, king of Scotland, who had recently succeeded Queen Elizabeth I to the throne of England as James I, had not reversed her harsh policies towards their co-religionists. Catholics in England (no more than 5 per cent of the population) were subject to heavy penalties. The plotters hoped to exploit, in their attack, the widespread anti-Scottish feeling in England aroused by James’s numerous followers.

Robert Catesby, a 32-year-old Warwickshire country gentleman, who was an engaging and charismatic figure, but heavily in debt, persuaded his young cousin Thomas Winter, and his friends John Wright and Thomas Percy, to join him in the conspiracy. In Spain, Winter had met Guy Fawkes, a Yorkshire soldier in Spanish service. They planned to coordinate a rising in England when Spain could provide troops, but this so-called “Spanish treason” was vetoed by the government of Spain, anxious to restore friendly relations with the new regime in England. The conspirators then brought in other leading figures, principally Francis Tresham, Sir Everard Digby, and the brothers of Winter and Wright. They planned to place a large quantity of gunpowder under the Parliament building, and from May 1604 began to tunnel from a neighbouring house. Gunpowder was thought of then as a “devilish” invention, as destructive as nuclear warheads today.

Later the cellars under the House of Lords became vacant, and Percy, a well-connected courtier, was able to rent them without arousing suspicion. He and Fawkes brought in 36 barrels of gunpowder under cover of darkness, and concealed them under firewood, to await the State Opening of Parliament in the autumn of 1605. The plotters planned to seize power after the deed, but needed to preserve leading Catholic figures. Consequently, Tresham sent a warning to his brother-in-law, Lord Monteagle, not to attend. Monteagle showed the warning letter to the government, however, and a search was made of the premises where the powder was stored. Fawkes was caught Early in the morning of 5th November 1605 with a 'slowmatch' to ignite the explosives. He was then tortured to extract the names of the other plotters. They, meanwhile, had fled to Holbeach House, on the Staffordshire borders, and were then captured, or, in the cases of Catesby and Percy, shot while resisting arrest. In January 1606 Fawkes and the others still alive were hanged, drawn, and quartered, the penalty for treason.

Had the plot succeeded, the royal family (including the heir to the throne), the members of the government, the bishops, and the judges might have perished. But it is difficult to see how, without foreign intervention on their behalf, the plotters could have taken over the country, which was solidly Protestant. The dramatic, last-minute discovery of a plot involving the potential destructive force of gunpowder had the opposite result. Catholics were further persecuted in England, and popular anti-Catholic feeling inflamed then and later.

Firework safety Whether you are a young person watching a firework display or an adult organising a display, follow the safety code for a safer fireworks night. Firework safety code: Only buy fireworks marked BS 7114 Don’t drink alcohol if setting off fireworks Keep fireworks in a closed box Follow the instructions on each firework Light them at arm’s length Stand well back and never go near a firework that has been lit - even if it hasn't’t gone off, it could still explode Never put fireworks in your pocket or throw them Always supervise children around fireworks Light sparklers one at a time and wear gloves to hold them Never give sparklers to a child under five When your sparkler goes out, don’t touch it as it could still burn you Have a bucket of water handy to cool down the sparkler once it has burnt out. Keep pets indoors In an emergency Cool the burn or scald with cold water for at least ten minutes Don't touch the burn or pull away any material stuck to it Cover the burn with clean, non-fluffy material to prevent infection - cling film is ideal If clothing catches fire, get the person to stop, drop to the floor and roll them in heavy material, such as a curtain Seek medical advice. How to protect your pets Keep Dogs and Cats inside Close all windows and doors and block of Dog Cat flaps. Draw the curtains and maybe switch on the TV or Radio for distraction Cover bird cages Bring in Rabbit/Guinea Pig hutches (if you cannot do this turn it around so that it faces the fence and not the garden). Cover aviaries and hutches with a blanket or duvet (make sure there is ventilation). Give small animals extra bedding to hide in. Fun Firework Facts Over 90% of fireworks sold in Britain still originate from China. A rocket can reach over 150 miles per hour The word for Firework in Japanese is "HANA-BI" which means Fireflower, "hana" means "flower" and "bi" means "fire“. A sparkler burns at a temperature over 15 times the boiling point of water (100 degrees). Why do you see the explosion before hearing it? The sound travels at 742 miles per hour, but light travels 670,616,625.6 miles per hour.