Gunpowder, Treason, and Plot! Why does England celebrate the 5th of November?

Remember, remember

The fifth of November

Gunpowder, treason, and plot!

It’s a rhyme that every school child in Great Britain grows up hearing, but how many can trace their roots right back to one of the key players in the gunpowder plot that nearly destroyed the Houses of Parliament in London?

One Living DNA team member can boast that Sir Thomas Knyvet appears in her family tree. If you’ve ever reached out to our customer services team, the chances are you’ve spoken to our lovely Clare, who has done extensive research into her family tree. Tracing her ancestry all the way back to the Gunpowder Plot has been quite a feat!

The gunpowder plot of 1605 was a bold and dangerous plan that took place during a period of high religious tension in England. Its discovery and failure had to do with luck, suspicion, and careful investigation. It was by no means an isolated act, but rather the product of years of growing conflict between England's Protestant rulers and its Catholic minority. There had been a long struggle between Catholics and the English state, which was coming full circle at this moment, leading to Robert Catesby and his conspirators trying to blow up the Houses of Parliament.

The religious struggle actually began in the 16th century with the separation of Henry VIII from the Roman Catholic Church. After Henry, England experienced Protestant and Catholic swings into acceptance under different monarchs that created a society that was both divided and fearful. By the time James I ascended to the throne in 1603, the Catholics of England had been facing persecution for decades. Elizabeth I, James’ predecessor, had managed to bring stability but at a very high cost for Catholics. She had levied heavy fines against those who would not attend the Protestant services. Since James’ mother, Mary Queen of Scots, had been a Catholic, there was some hope by the Catholics that he might be more tolerant to them. Instead, James continued the stringent policies of Elizabeth even further enraging the Catholics.

It is in this atmosphere, the Gunpowder Plot took place. Catesby and his cohorts - Thomas Wintour, Thomas Percy, and Guy Fawkes among them - had the goal of bringing some resolution to years of repression in one fell swoop. Their objective was blowing up the Houses of Parliament on a date they knew that the King would be present, killing him, the Members of Parliament, and all the leading Protestants along with him. They hoped this would create enough chaos to allow them to seize control and bring back a Catholic monarchy.

The plot's secrecy began to fall apart as the day drew near. Some of the conspirators hesitated; they felt uneasy about killing the fellow Catholics who would be in Parliament that day. This led to one of the conspirators writing an anonymous letter to Lord Monteagle, a Catholic peer, on October 26, 1605. The letter invited him to stay away from Parliament, hinting that something deadly was planned. Monteagle promptly forwarded the letter to the authorities, who started an investigation that finally discovered the plot.

Thomas Knyvett, a royal official assigned to the care of the palace, was summoned to make an investigation, and it’s this Thomas that Clare has found in her family tree. Leading a team into the cellars beneath the House of Lords on the night of November 4, Knyvett found a man who identified himself as "John Johnson" but who was later discovered to be Guy Fawkes. Fawkes was guarding 36 barrels of gunpowder - enough to blow up the whole building and kill everyone inside. He insisted that he was there for innocent reasons, but Knyvett thought this suspicious and ordered his arrest.

In the beginning, Fawkes refused to tell anything about either his true identity or his plans. His capture was important, however; the explosion was averted, and through his capture, the whole plot came to light. Under torture, Fawkes finally confessed and named some of his co-conspirators- among them Catesby and Wintour. This was the confession that led to the capture or killing of many of the plotters. Catesby and others were killed in a shoot-out, while Fawkes and several others were executed for treason.

By his key role in the apprehension of Fawkes and foiling the plot, Knyvett helped preserve the English monarchy and was acclaimed a hero in the eyes of the crown; hence, the reward for such efforts. Indeed, his timely action during the night of November 4 averted what would have been a disaster that would drastically have altered England's future.

The failure of the Gunpowder Plot had lasting effects in England. It decidedly toughened the position of the government to root out Catholic dissent and led to more stringent laws with even harsher punishments.

November 5 was declared a day of national celebration, known as Guy Fawkes Day or Bonfire Night, with fireworks, bonfires, and burning effigies of Fawkes. That continues to this day and reminds us of times of ardent religious dispute that shaped England's history.