Through rhyme we have kept alive an event which happened
over 400 years ago. The man who was partly responsible for
our traditional Bonfire Night on the 5 th November was of
course Guy Fawkes. A Yorkshire man born in 1570 to Protestant
parents, but Guy converted to Catholicism soon after the death
of his father. Guy Fawkes served as a footman at Cowdray Park
in Sussex before joining the Spanish army, gaining a reputation
for being a brave soldier, loyal to his chosen cause, and
an expert in gunpowder.
Working with the two main conspirators Robert
Catesby and Thomas Percy and eleven other collaborators, the
gunpowder plotters hatched a plan to blow up the House of Lords
in the spring of 1605. These plans were somewhat thwarted by
the outbreak of the plague and the event was rescheduled for
5th November.
Unforeseen delays, events and a traitor to the group eventually
lead to all being killed or taken prisoner to theTower of
London, where after weeks of torture the whole conspiracy
was known. Guy Fawkes and seven other members were executed
on 30th and 31st January 1606 opposite the very building they
had tried to destroy.
The practice of lighting fires early in November is
a great deal older than the story of Guy Fawkes. This
ritual dates from the pagan times, when the month of November
was considered to be the month of death. It was believed
that evil spirits roamed the land spreading death and
misery. Bonfires were lit on 1st November to rid these
dreadful happenings. What a coincidence it is, that this
event should coincide with the Gun Powder Plot.
Since 1606, before the opening of each new Parliament,
the buildings are searched to ascertain the safety of
the Government.
