History of the Gunpowder Plot
In 1605, a man called Guy Fawkes attempted to blow up the Houses of Parliament in London with barrels of gunpowder placed in the basement. He wanted to kill King James and his leaders. Guy Fawkes was born in York in 1570, to a Protestant family but then converted to Catholism. He served in the Spanish army (then occupying the Netherlands) and adopted the name Guido.
When Elizabeth I died childless, James VI of Scotland was invited to take the English throne. James was the son of the Catholic Mary Queen of Scots and so it was widely hoped - indeed expected - that he would relax the stringent laws that had been controlling the Catholics so far and allow them to live and worship in peace. At first it seemed that the new king would fulfil all their expectations, but change was very little and very slow, so although the majority of the population - Protestant and so unaffected by anti-Catholic laws - welcomed James enthusiastically, a conspiracy to depose the king and set a new, Catholic monarch on the throne began to grow.
 A group of men led by Robert Catesby, hatched a plan; to kill King James and his Parliament when they met at the Palace of Westminster.. Guy Fawkes was one the group.The men bought a house next door to the parliament building. The house had a cellar which extended under the House of Lords. The plotters managed to collect together 36 barrels of gunpowder and smuggled them into the cellar.
Guy Fawkes was given the job to keep watch over the barrels of gunpowder and to light the fuse. Everything seemed ready, but, on the night of October 26th, an anonymous letter was delivered to a member of the House of Lords (Lord Monteagle) "warning him to avoid the opening of Parliament". The letter put the government in guard and on the night of November 4th Guy Fawkes was discovered in the cellar with all the incriminating evidence. He was arrested and taken to the Tower of London. He was tortured until he told them the names of all the people involved in the Gunpowder Plot.
Once they knew that Guy Fawkes had been arrested, the rest of the plotters realised that it was only a matter of time before their names were known and so they fled to Staffordshire in the English Midlands. Several of them were injured in an accidental explosion and then the Sheriff of Worcester arrived with armed troops and a further four were killed in the ensuing shoot-out. The survivors all fled but were rounded up and imprisoned in the Tower to be tried for High Treason, although one died in prison before he could be tried. In January 1606 the surviving eight conspirators were put on trial. All of them pleaded guilty and all were condemned to death. They were hanged, drawn and quartered, the standard punishment for traitors.
Guy Fawkes Night has been celebrated every year since 1606, when the government proclaimed that it should be an annual celebration. Even though the Puritans banned most public celebrations after the Civil War, they allowed Guy Fawkes Night to continue. Guy Fawkes - or "Bonfire" - night is the most popular and widely celebrated of British secular holidays and has virtually replaced Hallowe'en.
Adapted from Traditions-UK
Bonfire Night (Guy Fawkes Night)
What happens in England on November 5th?
"A penny for the Guy" - In the weeks leading up to November 5th, children construct effigies of Guy Fawkes - called "Guys" - out of old clothes etc. and position themselves on street corners, outside shops, pubs etc., begging for "A penny for the Guy, mister?" These "pennies" used to be spent on fireworks for the big day, but now legislation prevents children from buying fireworks themselves. A lot of time and energy is spent in collecting wood and anything combustible to build a bonfire - the bigger the better.
Mischief Night, November 4th - The night before Bonfire Night sees Mischief Night, the British equivalent of "trick-or-treating". This celebration finds children up to lots of pranks. Here's the account of a man remembering his naughty childhood:
"Favourites in my childhood included lifting gates off hinges and re-hanging them the 'wrong' way round (a largely obsolete practice as lift-off hinges are fast disappearing), tying door-knockers together with string and the old and tame but (we thought) very amusing pastime of knocking on doors and running away (called, for some reason, 'knock-on-ginger.') Garden gnomes would mysteriously move from garden to garden, and later, when we had neighbours who actually HAD cars, we would tie them up with rolls and rolls of toilet paper. Nowadays Mischief Night seems to have been taken over by older youths whose exploits sometimes venture into vandalism and harassment which is no longer so widely tolerated."
This is also a good night to steal wood for your bonfire and light your rival's bonfire early.
Bonfires- Many of the customs of Guy Fawkes night have been carried over from Hallowe'en. Every year on 5th November, the anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot, Guy Fawkes is remembered. Throughout England, towns and villages light huge bonfires, let off magnificent fireworks, burn effigies of Guy Fawkes and celebrate the fact the Parliament and James I were not blown sky high. These effigies originally depicted the Pope - another burst of anti-catholic fervour. The bonfires are used to cook potatoes wrapped in foil and heat up soup for the crowds that come to watch the fireworks, as well.
Processions - In main town and cities, torch-lit processions are also popular on this night too.
Characterisation - Also children, in some areas, blacken their faces as Guy Fawkes might have done when he plotted to blow up parliament.
Food - Jacket potatoes are baked in the bonfire and ate with a mug of hot soup. Parkin Cake, a sticky cake, is traditionally eaten on this day.
In all: As soon as it gets dark on November 5th, the festivities begin. Every city, town, village and hamlet in the country will light its bonfires, and there will be tens of thousands of private bonfire parties. Families, friends and neighbours get together and watch the bonfire, the children throw their Guys on and watch them burn, and the sky will be full of bursting fireworks. November nights are cold, often freezing, and so hot food and drink is customary - traditional Bonfire treats include Parkin, particularly in Yorkshire and the north, baked potatoes (delicious if cooked in the embers of the fire), treacle toffee and toffee apples, and drinks of hot soup and cocoa are much appreciated.
Adapted from Traditions UK
Related links
Want to learn all about the Gunpwoder plot? Visit this enlightening site http://www.gunpowder-plot.org/
Visiting Places
The United Kingdom Parliament
Guy Fawkes couldn't fulfil his task. That is why Britons is now able to show you around this awesome complex of buildings. You'll see the ins and outs of its organisation and workings, visit its different houses, meet its members, read some of its publications and learn about the structure of Government in the UK.
Be sure this is first-hand information!
http://www.parliament.uk/
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