'Please to remember the fifth of November'
Remember, remember the fifth of November, Gunpowder, treason and plot. I see no reason why gunpowder, treason should ever be forgot.
The "Gunpowder Plot" occurred two years after King James I ascended to the throne. A group of English Catholics, of which Guy Fawkes was a member, had decided to kill the King because it was felt he had reneged on his promises to stop the persecution of Catholics. To this day, it is the law in Britain that a Roman Catholic cannot hold the office of monarch.
On the 5th November 1605, Guy Fawkes, who was an Englishman, was caught in the cellars of the Houses of Parliament with several dozen barrels of gunpowder. He and his cohorts had decided to blow up both Houses of Parliament in London and kill King James I upon the inaugural opening of the Parliament, and they had succeeded in smuggling several barrels of gunpowder into the basement of the Parliament.
The plot was foiled at the eleventh hour; some of the plotters escaped and some turned King's Evidence and reported on the rest. Guy Fawkes did not escape and was taken to the Tower of London, where he was charged with treason. He was tried by Judge Popham who came to London specifically for the trial from his country manor Littlecote House in Hungerford, Gloucestershire. Guy Fawkes was sentenced to death and the form of the execution was one of the most horrendous ever practised (hung ,drawn and quartered) which reflected the serious nature of the crime of treason. Afterwards, he was torn asunder and dragged through the streets of London behind a horse cart.
November 5th has been known ever since as "Bonfire Night" or "Guy Fawkes Night", and people all over Britain “celebrate” it by having fireworks displays and bonfires. It is not quite as popular as years ago. As a child I can remember the excitement of having fireworks in the garden once my Dad got home from work. Nowadays more people attend organised displays where safety is paramount and the fireworks much more spectacular than most people can afford to buy themselves.
Another thing that is not often seen today but was certainly popular when my Dad was a child is the actual Guy. The children would make a “Guy” from whatever was to hand, paper, straw, old rags etc…. They would then wheel him around the streets in a wheel barrow or go-kart shouting out "Penny for the guy, mister?" At the end of the day he would be burned to the great delight of all, on the bonfire!
One last interesting fact regarding the “Gun Powder Plot” is that even today, one of the ceremonies that accompanies the opening of a new session of parliament is the searching of the basement, by a bunch of men in funny hats.
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