The Gunpowder Plot: The Story of Guy Fawkes
Every year on 5 November, bonfires are lit and fireworks fill the sky across the UK.
But why?
The story takes us back more than 400 years, to a secret plot, 36 barrels of gunpowder and a plan to blow up Parliament with King James VI & I inside.
So who was Guy Fawkes — and what really happened on 5 November 1605?
👑 A New King
In 1603, James VI of Scotland also became James I of England, bringing the crowns of Scotland and England together under one monarch.
There had been years of disagreement and conflict over religion. Catholics in England had faced restrictions under Elizabeth I, and some hoped that life would become easier under the new king. When those hopes faded, a small group decided that something much more dramatic had to be done.
At the centre of the plan was Robert Catesby. He and his fellow plotters planned to destroy the House of Lords during the opening of Parliament, when King James VI & I and many important members of the government would all be inside.
It was an extraordinary plan — and if it worked, it could change the country completely.
King James VI & I in 1604 — the year before the Gunpowder Plot.
🕵️ Enter Guy Fawkes
One of the men who joined Catesby's plot was Guy Fawkes.
Born in York in 1570, Fawkes had spent years as a soldier and knew how to use gunpowder and explosives. That made him particularly useful to the plotters.
Fawkes joined the plot in 1604. Using the false name John Johnson, he stayed close to Parliament and became the man chosen to guard the gunpowder and, when the time came, set it alight.
That's why his name became so closely connected with the Gunpowder Plot — although, as we know, he wasn't actually its leader.
💡 Did you know? Guy Fawkes was also sometimes known as Guido Fawkes.
Guy Fawkes in an engraving made around 1605 — although we can't be sure this is exactly what he really looked like.
💥 A Dangerous Plan
The plotters needed somewhere to hide their gunpowder. They were able to rent a storeroom beneath the House of Lords — exactly where they needed to be.
Into the storeroom went 36 barrels of gunpowder, hidden beneath other materials. Everything was being prepared for the opening of Parliament on 5 November 1605.
The storeroom beneath the House of Lords where the gunpowder was hidden, shown in a drawing made nearly 200 years later.
When King James VI & I and the members of Parliament gathered above, Fawkes would light the fuse
But blowing up Parliament was only part of the plan. Afterwards, the plotters hoped to gather supporters in the Midlands and seize the King's young daughter, Princess Elizabeth. What would happen after that seems to have been much less carefully planned.
For months the plot remained secret.
Then, just days before it was due to take place, someone sent a letter.
✉️ A Mysterious Letter
On 26 October 1605, Lord Monteagle, a Catholic nobleman and member of the House of Lords, received an anonymous letter warning him not to attend the opening of Parliament.
Instead of ignoring the mysterious warning, he passed the letter to the authorities, and it eventually reached King James VI & I.
The letter didn't explain exactly what was going to happen, but it suggested that Parliament was in danger. Suspicion began to grow and plans were made to search the buildings around Parliament.
Nobody knows for certain who wrote the letter. Even more remarkably, the plotters discovered that the authorities had been warned — but decided to go ahead with their plan anyway.
The mysterious letter sent to Lord Monteagle in October 1605. Who wrote it is still unknown.
🔎 Take a closer look: Look closely at the original Monteagle Letter. Can you make out any words? What would you do if you received a mysterious letter warning you not to go somewhere because you might be in danger?
🔦 Caught!
As 5 November approached, the authorities began searching the buildings around Parliament.
Late on 4 November, they discovered Guy Fawkes in the storeroom beneath the House of Lords. At first, the materials stored there didn't reveal anything particularly alarming.
But when the area was searched again, the hidden barrels of gunpowder were discovered.
Fawkes was arrested.
The plan that had been kept secret for months had unravelled just hours before it was supposed to happen.
The other plotters fled London when they realised what had happened, but there was little chance of escape. Over the following days, several were killed or captured.
Guy Fawkes and some of the other Gunpowder Plotters, shown in an engraving made around 1605.
⚖️ What Happened Next?
Guy Fawkes was taken to the Tower of London and questioned about the plot.
At first, he refused to name the other plotters. King James VI & I authorised the use of torture, and eventually Fawkes began to give the authorities more information.
We can actually see something of what he went through in a remarkable piece of evidence that survives today. Two of Fawkes's signatures remain — and the one written after his interrogation is dramatically shakier than the other.
Two of Guy Fawkes's signatures, written eight days apart — the first on 9 November 1605 during his interrogation, and the second on 17 November.
🔎 Take a closer look: Compare the two signatures. What differences can you spot? What might they tell us?
The surviving plotters were put on trial in January 1606. They were accused of treason — a very serious crime against the king and the country. They were found guilty and sentenced to death. Guy Fawkes was executed on 31 January 1606.
The Gunpowder Plot was over — but the story of 5 November was only just beginning.
🎆 From Gunpowder Plot To Bonfire Night
When news spread that King James VI & I had survived and the plot had failed, people celebrated by lighting bonfires.
Before long, 5 November became an annual day of thanksgiving. Over the centuries, the way people marked the date changed, but bonfires remained an important part of the tradition.
One custom was to make a Guy — an effigy, or model, of Guy Fawkes. Children would sometimes take their Guy around the streets asking passers-by for “a penny for the Guy”, before the Guy was placed on top of the bonfire and burned that evening.
Fireworks also became part of the celebrations, representing the gunpowder that was never exploded beneath Parliament.
More than 400 years later, Bonfire Night is still marked across the UK. We might not see many children asking for a penny for the Guy nowadays, but bonfires and fireworks continue a tradition with its roots in the events of 1605.
🎥 Watch: This news footage shows Bonfire Night celebrations returning after the end of the Second World War. Look out for the Guy — what else do you recognise from Bonfire Night today?
🤔 Why Do We Remember Guy Fawkes?
There's something curious about the way this story has been remembered.
Ask someone to name a Gunpowder Plotter and they'll probably say Guy Fawkes. Yet the man behind the plan was actually Robert Catesby.
Fawkes was one of thirteen men involved in the plot. His particular role — and the fact that he was the man discovered with the gunpowder — meant that his name became attached to the story.
More than four centuries later, Catesby is much less well known.
🧠 Facts To Remember
🎇 When Guy Fawkes was first caught, he gave his name as John Johnson.
🎇 The plotters had hidden 36 barrels of gunpowder beneath the House of Lords.
🎇 The plot was timed for the State Opening of Parliament, when King James VI & I, the Lords and the Commons would all be there.
🎇 Robert Catesby, not Guy Fawkes, was the driving force behind the plot.
🎇 The Palace of Westminster you see today isn't the building the plotters knew. Most of the old palace was destroyed by fire in 1834.
🔎 Explore Further: Who Sent The Letter?
One mystery from our story has never been completely solved.
Who wrote the Monteagle Letter?
Could it have been one of the plotters having second thoughts? A friend or family member trying to protect Monteagle? Someone who had overheard something they shouldn't have? Or someone else entirely?
More than 400 years later, historians still don't know for certain.
🤔 What do you think? Who might have sent the letter — and what makes you think that?
🎥 Watch The Story
You've followed the plot from its beginnings to the mysterious letter, Guy Fawkes's arrest and the start of Bonfire Night.
Now see how much you recognise in this Horrible Histories take on the Gunpowder Plot.
🫎 Keep exploring
History is full of stories where the evidence leaves us with questions.
Keep exploring the people, places and events of the past — you never know what you might discover.
IMAGE CREDITS
James VI & I, 1604 — John de Critz / National Galleries of Scotland / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain
Guy Fawkes — Crispijn van de Passe the Elder / National Portrait Gallery / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain
Cellar beneath the House of Lords, 1799 — William Capon / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain
Monteagle Letter, 1605 — The National Archives / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain
The Gunpowder Plot Conspirators, c.1605 — Crispijn van de Passe the Elder / National Portrait Gallery / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain
Guy Fawkes confession signatures — The National Archives / Wikimedia Commons — Public Domain
