Born a protestant in York but became a Catholic when his widowed mother married a Catholic. A professional soldier, he fought for Spain but when he realised that Spain would not invade Britain and replace the Protestant James I with a Catholic monarchy he joined the conspirators who planned to blow up Parliament on the day it opened, which in 1605 was to be November 5th, much delayed due to an outbreak of plague. At first the conspirators rented a nearby property from where they started digging a tunnel towards Parliament but then a cellar actually under Parliament became available so they, gratefully, rented that, and stocked it with 36 barrels of gunpowder, very nearly a ton. Fawkes was given the job of lighting the fuse.
But someone chose to warn Baron Monteagle who was sympathetic to the Catholic cause and was due to attend the opening of Parliament. The letter-writer was probably Tresham, one of the conspirators and Monteagle's brother-in-law. Monteagle passed the information on to the authorities who initiated a search and on 4th November Fawkes was found in the cellar with the gunpowder. Some of the conspirators died while being held and questioned in the Tower of London, allegedly of natural causes. Those remaining were executed in the usual gruesome fashion, four on 30 January in St Paul's Churchyard and the other four, including Fawkes, the following day in Old Palace Yard, Westminster.
The picture source website tells this story, using pictures at every opportunity.
This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Guy Fawkes
Commemorated ati
Gunpowder Plot
Monteagle was at dinner when he received the letter so he passed it to a serv...
Other Subjects
John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester
Born Yorkshire. Opposed Henry VIII's self-appointment as head of the Church of England. Result: decapitation on Tower Hill.
Richard Fitzalan, 11th Earl of Arundel
Had been one of the group who arranged for the execution of Simon Burley. King Richard never forgave that, and when Fitzalan joined Gloucester to oppose the King's peace with France the King took ...
Corporal Malcolm MacPhearson
See Farquar Shaw for the story of the Black Watch mutiny.
Duke of Monmouth
Born James Scott (or Crofts or Fitzroy) at Rotterdam. Illegitimate son of King Charles II and Lucy Walter. He came to England in 1662 where he was created Duke of Monmouth. 1682 he had Monmouth Hou...
Stephen Harwood
Burnt at the stake in Stratford for his Protestant beliefs. A brewer, associated with Fust. Condemned by Bishop Bonner.
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