Remember, Remember, The 5th of November

The Gunpowder plot and a letter

We begin with the timeless poem:

Remember, Remember the 5th of November

Gunpowder, Treason and plot

I see no reason why gunpowder treason

Should ever be forgot.

Then there are contrasting verses, depending on where you get them from.

Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes, 'twas his intent

to blow up the King and Parliament

Three score barrels of powder below

Poor old England to overthrow

By God's Providence he was catch'd

With a dark lantern and burning match

Holler boys, holler boys, let the bells ring

Holler Boys, holler boys, God Save the King!

One verse reflects the anti-Catholic sentiment at the time:

A penny loaf to feed the Pope,

A farthing o'cheese to choke him,

A pint of beer to rinse it down,

A faggot of sticks to burn down,

Burn him in a tub of tar

Burn him like a blazing star

Burn his body from his head

Then we'll say ol'Pope is dead.

Hip Hip hoorah!

Hip Hip hoorah!

Hip Hip hoorah!

Here's a mashup version:

Remember, remember!

The fifth of November,

The Gunpowder treason and plot;

I know of no reason

Why the Gunpowder treason

Should ever be forgot!

Guy Fawkes and his companions

Did the scheme contrive,

To blow the King and Parliament

All up alive.

Threescore barrels, laid below,

To prove old England's overthrow.

But, by God's providence, him they catch,

With a dark lantern, lighting a match!

A stick and a stake

For King James's sake!

If you won't give me one,

I'll take two,

The better for me,

And the worse for you.

A rope, a rope, to hang the Pope,

A penn'orth of cheese to choke him,

A pint of beer to wash it down,

And a jolly good fire to burn him.

Holla, boys! holla, boys! make the bells ring!

Holla, boys! holla boys! God save the King!

Hip, hip, hooray!

So what was the Gunpowder plot? 

It was an assassination attempt against King James I and Parliament by a group of  13 Catholics who wanted to return a Catholic monarch to the throne. It was spearheaded by Robert Catesby, who believed there would be more support towards Catholics under James, who was the son of Catholic Mary, Queen of the Scots. Unfortunately he and other Catholics were left disappointed.

The plan was to rent a cellar underneath the Palace of Westminster, move explosives through tunnels and light it when Parliament was set to resume sitting, on November 5th, 1605. Guy Fawkes, the face of the Gunpowder Plot, was to set up the explosives, as he had Military experience.

But, before Guy could carry out the plan, a letter was received by William Parker, 4th Baron Monteagle, warning him to stay away from Parliament when it resumed. The King got wind of this letter and did a sweep through of the cellars. He found a man there with explosives and gunpowder, but did not know it was Guy Fawkes. Nonetheless, he was arrested, and later sentenced to death.

And who sent the letter to Baron Monteagle?

Although it's been a lengthy debate about who sent the letter to Monteagle, it's highly assumed that it was Francis Tresham. Francis Tresham was one of the plotters who had connections in Parliament. Monteagle was his brother-in-law. Tresham was also the brother-in-law to Edward Stourton, 10th Baron Stourton. 

                                                                                                   Wikipedia

The letter reads:

My Lord, out of the love I bear to some of your friends, I have a care of your preservation. Therefore I would advise you, as you tender your life, to devise some excuse to shift your attendance at this parliament; for God and man hath concurred to punish the wickedness of this time. And think not slightly of this advertisement, but retire yourself into your country where you may expect the event in safety. For though there be no appearance of any stir, yet I say they shall receive a terrible blow this Parliament; and yet they shall not see who hurts them. This counsel is not to be condemned because it may do you good and can do you no harm; for the danger is passed as soon as you have burnt the letter. And I hope God will give you the grace to make good use of it, to whose holy protection I commend you. 

Monteagle did not know what to make of this letter, so he forwarded it to Robert Cecil, who was the English Secretary of State at the time.

Catesby learned of the letter and immediately suspected Tresham, which makes the argument even stronger. However, Tresham convinced him otherwise. 

There are some people who believe that the letter was penned by Cecil, in order to protect the source.

In Tresham's confession, he admits to plotting the assassination with the 12 other men, but he does not mention the letter, leaving the question unanswered for future generations to ponder.

If you want to learn more and delve into the details about the Gunpowder Plot, here are a few resources that I generally enjoy when it comes to British/London history:

History Extra

History Hit TV  (You may have to sign up for this one, but there is a lot of free content. I'm not sponsoring them, I just genuinely love the content.)