Guy Fawkes

Guy Fawkes was born on the 13th April 1570. Little is known of his early years, but it is possible that he married a lady called Maria Pulleyn in 1590. They may have had a son a year later, but the records are sketchy.

He was employed as a footman by Anthony Browne – the second Lord Montague – where he met a man called Robert Catesby. Catesby would later lead what has become known to history as the Gunpowder Plot.

Military life

Fawkes left England sometime in 1593 or 1594 to travel to Flanders, where he enlisted in the Spanish army under the Archduke Albert of Austria. He swiftly rose up the ranks, and held a post of command when the Spanish took Calais in 1596. It was here that he learnt the ins-and-outs of demolition.

By all accounts, Fawkes made an impressive military man, feted by the command and soldiers alike, but left for England in February 1603 to give an account of the Catholic situation in Britain.

The Gunpowder Plot

In May 1604, Guy met up with a number of Catholic sympathisers, and swore an oath of secrecy to rid the world of the Protestant King, James I.

The idea was splendidly simple. An undercroft was up for rent directly below the Houses of Parliament; so all they had to do was wait for the State Opening of Parliament and blow the place to kingdom come. All of the ministers and King would be wiped out in a flash.

Providence seemed to be on their side when an undercroft came up directly below the House of Lords, the exact room where they would all be seated. So Guy gathered together as much gunpowder as he could find, and started stacking it up in barrels. He had roughly 2.5 tonnes in place by March 1605, thirty-six barrels in total, under a blanket of winter fuel – enough to blow out all the windows in a one mile radius.

Remember, remember, the fifth of November

Everything seemed to be going swimmingly, but a fatal flaw had opened up the previous week. It seems that one of the gang, Francis Tresham, had started to feel a little guilty about killing Catholics in the chamber. So he sent a letter to Lord Monteagle, warning him to stay away.

Monteagle received the letter on the 26th October, and immediately became suspicious. He passed it on to the Secretary of State, Robert Cecil.

The conspirators were told of the letter the following day, but after visiting the undercroft and seeing nothing untoward, vowed to carry on regardless.

On the following Monday afternoon, the Lord Chamberlain searched the cellar and came upon the large pile of ‘winter fuel’. Fawkes, who masqueraded under the name of Mr John Johnson, claimed that the wood belonged to his master, Thomas Percy. But he seemed a very bad and desperate fellow, and they reported it to the King.

The following night they searched the cellar again, this time led by Sir Thomas Knyvett. He found the barrels at once, and Fawkes was immediately arrested. The gunpowder, matches and touch paper on his person was enough to raise considerable alarm, and he was carted off to the King.

Trail and death of Guy Fawkes

Fawkes was not shy in coming forward, and upon entering the King’s bedchamber admitted to the whole plot straight away. When James asked him why he did it, he said he wanted to blow the Scots back to Scotland and, referring to the Catholic’s sorry situation in England, exclaimed that a dangerous disease require a desperate remedy.

Fawkes was taken straight to the Tower of London where he was tortured for more information. After holding out for three days he gave up the names of his co-conspirators, who were rounded up and caught.

A trial was hastily convened for the 27th January 1606, and on the 31st they were taken to the Old Palace Yard and hung, drawn and quartered.

• Historical pictures

Historical pictures

^{Guy Fawkes, and the other plottersGuy Fawkes being executed}

Guy Fawkes – Related articles…

Gunpowder Plot (1605)
The Gunpowder Plot was an infamous attempt by Guy Fawkes to blow up King James I in 1605.