Guy Fawkes & the Gunpowder Plot

Probably York's most notorious son is the now infamous Guy Fawkes or Guido Fawkes (1570—1606) who was a leading member of the group of Roman Catholic conspirators who attempted to carry out the Gunpowder Plot. The conspirators had planned to assassinate King James I and all the members of both branches of the Parliament of England by placing large amounts of gunpowder in the cellars underneath the House of Lords and blowing up the whole building during the formal opening of the 1605 session of Parliament. Guy Fawkes was primarily responsible for the latter stages of the plan's execution. He was discovered before its completion, however. Following an interrogation, Fawkes and his co-conspirators were executed for treason.

Guido Fawkes, depended on various accounts was eith er born on Stonegate or on Petergate, not far from the Minster. There is a plaque to testify that his parents indeed lived on Stonegate and you will find this half way up the street on your left as you walk towards the Minster. On the 16th April, Fawkes was baptized in the church of St. Michael-le-Belfry (built during the Reformation) and later attended St. Peter's School in Clifton. He was the only son of Edward Fawkes of York and his wife Edith Blake. He grew up to be tall, and of an athletic build with brown hair and a moderately brown beard. Fawkes, according top his own testimony, converted to Catholicism at about the age of 16. He served as a soldier gaining considerable expertise with explosives. In 1593 he enlisted in the army of Archduke Albert of Austria in the Netherlands, fighting against the Protestant United Provinces in the Eighty Years' War. In 1596 he was present at the siege and capture of Calais. By 1602, however, he had still risen no higher than the rank of ensign.

It is no surprise that Guy Fawkes was placed in charge of the plan due to his military and explosives experience. The plot, however, was masterminded by Robert Catesby. Due to their connections, Fawkes and his fellow conspirators were able to rent a cellar beneath the House of Lords. it is said that by March 1605, they had hidden approximately 2.5 tonnes of gunpowder in the cellar. Several of the conspirators were concerned, however, about fellow Catholics who would have been present at parliament during the opening. This concern was to be their downfall. One of the conspirators had written a letter of warning to Lord Monteagle, who received it on October 26. Lord Monteagle had been suspicious, however, and the letter was sent to the secretary of state who initiated a search of the vaults beneath the House of Lords. The conspirators became aware of the letter the following day but resolved to go ahead with the plot after Fawkes had confirmed that nothing had been touched in the cellar. Indeed nothing had been touched as the militia waited to arrest the conspirators in the act. Fawkes was arrested during a raid on the cellar in the early morning of November 5. He was tortured over the next few days, after special permission to do so had been granted by the King, and eventually revealed the names of his co-conspirators. On January 31, Fawkes, Wintour, and a number of others implicated in the conspiracy were taken to Old Palace Yard in Westminster, where they were hanged, drawn and quartered.
In the United Kingdom the failure of the gunpowder plot is celebrated annually on Guy Fawkes Night - November 5th - also called Bonfire Night.