A lesson on Guy Fawkes

photos: that wily Guy Fawkes, what great facial hair; fireworks from the private party; note the large fire on the right, also from the private party)

I cannot remember what happened on Wednesday or Thursday, so i assume they were also homework days.

I do remember that Thursday was the first signs of people celebrating Guy Fawkes Day / Bonfire Night. Apparently a group of rich important people rented out a section of our campus to hold their private party. I find this interesting, because they are having a private party on a college campus. I am not sure what would have happened had i tried to walk out there and hang out, but i don't really see how they could argue with me. I can't complain though because i got to watch their bonfire and their fireworks, which were lovely. That was the only bonfire i witnessed, as well, though i don't know if they burned an effigy...

Everyone in the states seems to now be aware of Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot due to the film V For Vendetta. While the film is very interesting and entertaining, it does not quite explain the whole Guy Fawkes thing. He was a bit of a jerk really, not someone to be idolized and reproduced, like V. Here is a bit of background on our goateed friend:

401 years ago, in 1665 , Guido "Guy " Fawkes was a Roman Catholic soldier. As you know, there was much trouble between the Roman Catholics and the Protestants in England, and the whole religious aspect of life was rather tense. King James was not really suited to be monarch, and when Jimbo put out a new bible and refused to give them equal rights, the Cathloics were less than pleased. So what is there to do but kill the king and many other important people, while destroying iconic builidings simultaneously? This is what Fawkes and other conspirators decided to do to create a revolution and install a Catholic monarch. Fawkes was not originally in charge of this idea; a man named Robert Catesby actually was the man behind the plan. He was introduced to Fawkes because of Fawkes extensive knowledge of explosives and gunpowder. Fawkes soon became the leader of the Gunpowder Plot and was in charge of carrying it out. The conspirators had stored gunpowder in Lambeth, but they found out that a cellar under the House of Lords had been vacated recently, so they immediately rented it out. The opening of Parliament was continually delayed due to the plague the year earlier and other problems that followed. Fawkes and his crew took advantage of this extra time and were able to move 36 barrels of gunpowder down the river, right into the cellar in the Old Palace of Westminster. This proved much more convenient than their original plan of tunnelling from a nearby cellar.

The barrels were packed so tightly and efficiently, that Fawkes' expertise would have rendered them as forceful as modern day TNT. Most of the conspirators fled to locations around the country so that they would be harder to find if anything went wrong. Fawkes stayed, for he had to light the fuse. Someone leaked information to a man about the impending attack, and the authorities decided to search the cellars. Apparently people one man may have written a letter to someone whom he knew worked in the building that he wanted to keep safe. This man then proceeded to tell his superior the next day, who decided it would be a good idea to check it out. A group of armed men descended into the cellar under the House of Lords on the night of 4 November 1665. At midnight, Fawkes was found sitting in the basement among his 1800 pounds of gunpowder, holding matches.

Guy Fawkes was taken to the Tower of London and tortured for the next few days under the orders of James I. He finally confessed orally, named his co-conspirators, and explained his plans. He could barely sign his name on the confession because of his torture on the rack. The conspirators were tried in Westminster Hall, and on January 31 they were taken to be hanged and drawn and quatered in Westminster.

Fawkes got one over on them in end, and managed to jump from the gallows, breaking his neck, and avoiding the further pain of being drawn and quartered. Sneaky, sneaky man.

Through recent research, we have found out the the extent of the damage would have been very severe had Fawkes been successful. The entirety of the Houses of Parliament would have been razed to the ground, killing everyone within 100 metres of the blast. Westminster Abbey would have been severely damaged, and its stained glass windows would have blown out, along with the windows of any nearby houses. In other words, it would have been a big deal.
What's more is this whole catastophe actually set back the Catholics greatly in their struggle for some power.

Well done ,Fawkes. That's not to say you're not an incredibly interesting and clever fellow.

(For you Harry Potter fans, and you may already know this, Dumbledore's phoenix called Fawkes was named after Guy Fawkes because of the animal's tendency to burst into flames)

Right, so now that we have the history, i hope everyone has a bit better understanding on why November 5th (AKA Guy Fawkes Night or Bonfire Night) is such a huge ordeal for the Brits. To commemorate his failure, every year fireworks are set off and effigies of Guy Fawkes are burnt in enormous bonfires.

This is why i spied on the people having the party by looking out my window with my weak, tiny binoculars to see if anyone famous was there. I couldn't tell. And it was by far one of the creepiest things i have done in life, so i stopped quickly and decided never to do that again. More on Bonfire Night later.