Who was Guy Fawkes?

Guy Fawkes was born in York on 13 April 1570.

His family was Anglican and he attended St. Peter’s School in York.

When his father died in 1579, his mother soon remarried, this time to a Catholic, Dennis Bainbridge of Scotton.

Bainbridge came from a family of recusants, or resisters of the Church of England and their cruel treatment of British Catholics; Guy Fawkes then converted to Catholicism himself at the age of 16.

Fawkes served as a footman and table waiter to several Catholic noblemen, and eventually ended up fighting for the Spanish cause in Flanders and the Netherlands for several years.

It was during this time that he adopted the name Guido and gained a great deal of experience in the use of explosives.

By the early 1600s it became clear that none of the Catholic nations of Europe were willing to help the recusants in Britain in their struggle against the repressive rule of the Church of England, so some desperate plans were made.

The Gunpowder Plot was hatched by Robert Catesby, and the plan was to kill King James I, his family, and most of the government by blowing up Westminster Palace (pictured) during the State Opening of Parliament.

Fawkes was chosen to execute this plan, probably due to his military experience.

Fawkes and his friends rented an undercroft below the House of Lords and in this cellar they stowed over 1800 pounds of gunpowder.

Worried about the Catholic Lords that might also perish in the explosion, the conspirators wrote a letter to one Lord Monteagle, warning him to stay away or perish.

He showed the letter to King James who then ordered a search of the cellars which led to the discovery of the explosives and the apprehension of Fawkes and the other conspirators.

Fawkes was sentenced to death, but escaped the noose by jumping off the platform and breaking his own neck in the process.

The question who was Guy Fawkes is perhaps not as important as what drove him to take part in such a horrifying plan.

Visiting Houses of Parliament

Parliament Square, St Margaret's Street, Westminster, SW1A 0AA

Telephone: 0844 209 0381

Opening Times

Mon & Tue 2.30pm-10.30pm, Wed 11.30am-7.30pm, Thu 10.30am-6.30pm, Fri 9.30am-3pm | Times apply to the House of Commons main chamber. Westminster Hall: Mon & Tue 9am-12noon, Wed 9am-9.20am & 9.25am-12noon, Fri 3.30pm-5pm. Prime Minister's Question Time: We

Ticket Prices

FREE (Adult), FREE (Child) | Tours £11.70 (Adults), £7.80 (Concs), £4.80 (Children 5 to 15), £29.20 (Family)

Photo courtesy: brownpau

Return from Who was Guy Fawkes? to London Festivals and Special Events

Return from Who was Guy Fawkes? to Best London Attractions