Bonfire Night and The Gunpowder Plot

In 2018, UK consumers spent £316 million on Bonfire Night, also known as Fireworks Night or Guy Fawkes Night, according to market research company Mintel. Most of that money went up in smoke, spent on fireworks and bonfires. Fireworks displays remained the most popular way to celebrate, with 38% of the population attending an event.

The Gunpowder Plot

Bonfire Night traces back to a 17th-century religious and political plot. In 1605, English Catholics, led by Robert Catesby, planned to blow up King James and his government during Parliament’s State Opening on November 6. They aimed to install a Catholic head of state to end Catholic persecution, following years of religious strife with the Roman Church.

Guy Fawkes

Guy Fawkes, a minor conspirator, gained fame due to his role in guarding the explosives. After an anonymous tip-off, authorities searched the Palace of Westminster’s cellars and found him with 36 barrels of gunpowder. This discovery led to today’s ceremonial “search” of Parliament before each State Opening, carried out by the Yeoman of the Guard, who are rewarded with port.

The plot began in a pub, the Duck and Drake. Fawkes, a mercenary, was hired to ignite the gunpowder. The conspirators rented a cellar beneath the House of Lords and filled it with explosives, delaying their plan twice. Eventually, authorities discovered the plot, and Catesby was killed resisting arrest. Others were tortured, tried, and sentenced to be hung, drawn, and quartered. Fawkes escaped the full punishment by breaking his neck on his way to the scaffold.

Following news of the plot’s failure, Londoners celebrated spontaneously, lighting bonfires. A later Act of Parliament mandated annual commemorations with church services of thanksgiving, though it was repealed in 1859.

This ‘search’ continues today before every State Opening of Parliament, albeit ceremonially, with the searchers, the Yeoman of the Guard, rewarded with a glass of port.  

Like most great plans, this one was hatched in a pub – the Duck and Drake. Fawkes was a mercenary soldier, unknown to the authorities, recruited to ‘light the blue touch paper’. The conspirators leased a cellar under the Houses of Lords and packed it with gunpowder. Forced to postpone their explosion twice, the plot was discovered, and Catesby was shot and killed while resisting arrest. The other plotters were rounded up, tortured, tried and sentenced to be hung, drawn and quartered. Fawkes actually escaped this full punishment as he fell and broke his neck whilst being led up to the scaffold to be hanged. 

As news of the plot’s failure broke, spontaneous street celebrations were said to have broken out and bonfires lit in celebration all over London. A subsequent Act of Parliament decreed that the event would be commemorated annually by church services of thanksgiving. The Act was repealed in 1859.  

Bonfire Night

Soon, “Gunpowder Treason Day” took on anti-Catholic tones, with bonfires often topped with effigies of the Pope. As religious tolerance grew, celebrations became more general, with figures called “guys” (after Guy Fawkes) atop the bonfires. The word “guy” eventually entered common language, losing its original negative meaning.

In the 19th century, children roamed the streets before the 5th, asking for “a penny for the Guy” with homemade effigies, often using the money to buy fireworks. By the 20th century, “Fireworks Night” became popular as manufacturers promoted their products, leading to widespread domestic firework displays and bonfires.

Today, health and safety concerns have popularized organized displays, like those in Lewes, Sussex, where massive bonfires are still topped with effigies of prominent figures. Although Bonfire Night has lost its religious and political roots, it remains deeply embedded in UK culture, known as “Guy Fawkes Night” or “Bonfire Night.”

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