A Penny for the Guy (Holiday)
All over the world, many different countries celebrate many different holidays. Many countries have their own special holidays they celebrate. The Forth of July and Thanksgiving are two examples of American holidays that are not celebrated anywhere else. England has one of these holidays that they celebrate on the fifth of November. The holiday is called “Guy Fawkes Day” and it is celebrated with fireworks and bonfires throughout England. This holiday is not a celebration of some noble person or deed but of a failed terrorist plot to blow up the English House of Parliament.
Guy Fawkes was born to Edward Fawkes and Edith Blake on April 13, 1570 in Stonegate, England. At three days old, Fawkes was baptized as a Protestant in the church of St. Michael le Belfrey on April 16, 1570. He also went to a Protestant school, free school of St. Peters in York. He had one sister born that died at seven weeks old before his birth and two other sisters born after his birth. Fawkes was his father’s only son. His father was a strong Protestant. When his father died in 1579, Fawkes’ mother remarried in 1582 to a man named Dionis Baynbrigge who was a Catholic extremist. Fawkes converted from Protestant to Catholic when he was about sixteen years old. It was believed that Fawkes was greatly influenced by his new father’s strong Catholic beliefs.
In 1592, Fawkes sold his inheritance from his father, Edward Fawkes. He served as a footman for Anthony-Maria Browne, Second Viscount Montague. In 1593, Fawkes assisted in Spain’s capture of the town of Calais. He also enlisted in the Army of Archduke Albert of Austria in the Netherlands. He fought against the Protestant United Provinces in the Eighty Years’ War for the armies of Catholic Spain. While he worked for many years as a soldier, he gained much knowledge of explosives. Soon after leaving Army of Archduke’s force, Fawkes traveled to Spain to reacquaint himself with King Philip II, and inform the king about England’s true position with the Catholic Church.
The extreme Puritans and Catholics were attacked in 1604 at the Hampton Court conference. King James I was going to enforce “penal laws” against the Catholics, which was a surprise to the Catholics. King James had promised leniency to the Catholics upon the death of Elizabeth. Instead, he continued what Elizabeth started and sided with the Protestants. The extreme Puritans and Catholics went to Spain to ask for help. They wanted to bring England back to the Catholic state it once was. Spain had told them that they were in too many wars and too much debt to help the English Roman Catholics. Therefore, Spain would not help in the attempt for the Catholics to regain England. Any possibility of a Catholic state was removed. This caused the plotters to realize that no one from the outside would help unless something drastic took place. The plot may have been conspired to change Spain’s position with helping to bring a Catholic state back.
Guy Fawkes was not one of the conspirators who originally thought of the plot. The plot was master minded by Robert Catesby. Thomas Winter asked around for Guy Fawkes, while Fawkes was in Spain. Winters wanted to recruit Fawkes for his great knowledge of bombs and gunpowder. Winter was believed to be one of Fawkes’ earlier schoolmates. He told Fawkes about the plan to get Spain involved in the struggle to reinstate Catholicism. The plan was centered on one goal, blowing up the English House of Parliament and King James I on the opening day, November 5, 1605. From that point, Winters made Fawkes the lead man in this plan because he had the expertise needed to set off explosives. Fawkes went out to look for something to rent close to the House of Lords. He was in luck to find a small room below Parliament. The conspirators were very pleased that Fawkes made such a find, so close to the House of Lords. For almost a year, an aggrieved Catholic landowner, Guy Fawkes, rented a cellar below the House of Lords. Fawkes and his co-conspirators mined out the cellar and filled it with barrels of gunpowder.
Almost a year passed and the conspirators continued to mine and fill the cellar with gunpowder. Fear eventually grew for fellow Catholics who might be present at the Parliament during the opening, so a letter from one of the conspirators was sent to warn Lord Monteagle. The letter was a warning to not show up to the opening night of the English House of Parliament. This letter was thought to have been passed on to the officials, which caused the alarm to search beneath the Parliament. Guy Fawkes was captured on the eve of the opening, November 5, 1605. The state men sent out guards that caught Fawkes inside the mined cellar with thirty-six barrels filled with gunpowder. The barrels where hidden with wood and blankets. Fawkes was arrested and tortured for several days. The king had granted special permission for the torture to be done on Fawkes. He eventually confessed the names of his co-conspirators, dead and alive. The conspirators who were not already dead were hunted and eventually killed or captured. Later, Fawkes and three of his confederates were tried for treason and attempted murder. After they were found guilty they were taken to Old Palace Yard in Westminster and St. Paul’s Yard to be hung on January 31, 1606.
On the first anniversary King James I, declared a celebration for the foiling of the plot and the capture of all involved. In 1606, bonfires were started and King James I set out a feast for all in celebration. The bonfires were used to clean out unwanted items or trash that can burn, and create heat to cook food. In the early 1800’s, burning the “effigies” of Guy was started. The effigies are dressed in the three colors of the English flag on his coat, waistcoat, trousers, an evil looking head, a colorful mask and topped with a brown brimmed hat from the seventeenth century.
To this day, on every November 5, the streets of England celebrate the foiling of Guy Fawkes and his co-conspirators’ plan. Before each opening of a session and on every November 5, the vaults are searched below the Parliament. The children run through the streets, dragging stuffed effigies called “Guy” while shouting, “A penny for the guy!” People looking will throw rotten vegetables, sticks, and insults at the “Guy” effigies. Coins are also thrown and the children collect them to buy snacks or fireworks for later that night. Bonfires are started around towns, and the “Guy” effigies are thrown onto the fire to simulate the burning of Guy Fawkes and his co-conspirators. Later that same night, fireworks are set off, followed by a huge feast, and the children roast chestnuts and potatoes on the bonfire.
As November 5 approaches, people all over England begin to prepare for the celebration. They celebrate this beloved holiday, and they remember how a common person named Guy Fawkes born in Stonegate, York tried to bring Catholicism back to the English Parliament. If this plot had not been uncovered, it would have been a catastrophic event and remembered as a day of mourning. His failure to blow up the English Parliament and King James I is not only remembered but also celebrated.
Works Referenced
http://www.britannia.com/history/g-fawkes.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Fawkes
http://www.infoplease.com/spot/guyfawkes.html
Encyclopedia Americana (1966) Fawkes, Guy
Carole S. Angell “Celebrations Around the World, A Multicultural Handbook” Pages 140-141
Guy Fawkes was born to Edward Fawkes and Edith Blake on April 13, 1570 in Stonegate, England. At three days old, Fawkes was baptized as a Protestant in the church of St. Michael le Belfrey on April 16, 1570. He also went to a Protestant school, free school of St. Peters in York. He had one sister born that died at seven weeks old before his birth and two other sisters born after his birth. Fawkes was his father’s only son. His father was a strong Protestant. When his father died in 1579, Fawkes’ mother remarried in 1582 to a man named Dionis Baynbrigge who was a Catholic extremist. Fawkes converted from Protestant to Catholic when he was about sixteen years old. It was believed that Fawkes was greatly influenced by his new father’s strong Catholic beliefs.
In 1592, Fawkes sold his inheritance from his father, Edward Fawkes. He served as a footman for Anthony-Maria Browne, Second Viscount Montague. In 1593, Fawkes assisted in Spain’s capture of the town of Calais. He also enlisted in the Army of Archduke Albert of Austria in the Netherlands. He fought against the Protestant United Provinces in the Eighty Years’ War for the armies of Catholic Spain. While he worked for many years as a soldier, he gained much knowledge of explosives. Soon after leaving Army of Archduke’s force, Fawkes traveled to Spain to reacquaint himself with King Philip II, and inform the king about England’s true position with the Catholic Church.
The extreme Puritans and Catholics were attacked in 1604 at the Hampton Court conference. King James I was going to enforce “penal laws” against the Catholics, which was a surprise to the Catholics. King James had promised leniency to the Catholics upon the death of Elizabeth. Instead, he continued what Elizabeth started and sided with the Protestants. The extreme Puritans and Catholics went to Spain to ask for help. They wanted to bring England back to the Catholic state it once was. Spain had told them that they were in too many wars and too much debt to help the English Roman Catholics. Therefore, Spain would not help in the attempt for the Catholics to regain England. Any possibility of a Catholic state was removed. This caused the plotters to realize that no one from the outside would help unless something drastic took place. The plot may have been conspired to change Spain’s position with helping to bring a Catholic state back.
Guy Fawkes was not one of the conspirators who originally thought of the plot. The plot was master minded by Robert Catesby. Thomas Winter asked around for Guy Fawkes, while Fawkes was in Spain. Winters wanted to recruit Fawkes for his great knowledge of bombs and gunpowder. Winter was believed to be one of Fawkes’ earlier schoolmates. He told Fawkes about the plan to get Spain involved in the struggle to reinstate Catholicism. The plan was centered on one goal, blowing up the English House of Parliament and King James I on the opening day, November 5, 1605. From that point, Winters made Fawkes the lead man in this plan because he had the expertise needed to set off explosives. Fawkes went out to look for something to rent close to the House of Lords. He was in luck to find a small room below Parliament. The conspirators were very pleased that Fawkes made such a find, so close to the House of Lords. For almost a year, an aggrieved Catholic landowner, Guy Fawkes, rented a cellar below the House of Lords. Fawkes and his co-conspirators mined out the cellar and filled it with barrels of gunpowder.
Almost a year passed and the conspirators continued to mine and fill the cellar with gunpowder. Fear eventually grew for fellow Catholics who might be present at the Parliament during the opening, so a letter from one of the conspirators was sent to warn Lord Monteagle. The letter was a warning to not show up to the opening night of the English House of Parliament. This letter was thought to have been passed on to the officials, which caused the alarm to search beneath the Parliament. Guy Fawkes was captured on the eve of the opening, November 5, 1605. The state men sent out guards that caught Fawkes inside the mined cellar with thirty-six barrels filled with gunpowder. The barrels where hidden with wood and blankets. Fawkes was arrested and tortured for several days. The king had granted special permission for the torture to be done on Fawkes. He eventually confessed the names of his co-conspirators, dead and alive. The conspirators who were not already dead were hunted and eventually killed or captured. Later, Fawkes and three of his confederates were tried for treason and attempted murder. After they were found guilty they were taken to Old Palace Yard in Westminster and St. Paul’s Yard to be hung on January 31, 1606.
On the first anniversary King James I, declared a celebration for the foiling of the plot and the capture of all involved. In 1606, bonfires were started and King James I set out a feast for all in celebration. The bonfires were used to clean out unwanted items or trash that can burn, and create heat to cook food. In the early 1800’s, burning the “effigies” of Guy was started. The effigies are dressed in the three colors of the English flag on his coat, waistcoat, trousers, an evil looking head, a colorful mask and topped with a brown brimmed hat from the seventeenth century.
To this day, on every November 5, the streets of England celebrate the foiling of Guy Fawkes and his co-conspirators’ plan. Before each opening of a session and on every November 5, the vaults are searched below the Parliament. The children run through the streets, dragging stuffed effigies called “Guy” while shouting, “A penny for the guy!” People looking will throw rotten vegetables, sticks, and insults at the “Guy” effigies. Coins are also thrown and the children collect them to buy snacks or fireworks for later that night. Bonfires are started around towns, and the “Guy” effigies are thrown onto the fire to simulate the burning of Guy Fawkes and his co-conspirators. Later that same night, fireworks are set off, followed by a huge feast, and the children roast chestnuts and potatoes on the bonfire.
As November 5 approaches, people all over England begin to prepare for the celebration. They celebrate this beloved holiday, and they remember how a common person named Guy Fawkes born in Stonegate, York tried to bring Catholicism back to the English Parliament. If this plot had not been uncovered, it would have been a catastrophic event and remembered as a day of mourning. His failure to blow up the English Parliament and King James I is not only remembered but also celebrated.
Works Referenced
http://www.britannia.com/history/g-fawkes.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Fawkes
http://www.infoplease.com/spot/guyfawkes.html
Encyclopedia Americana (1966) Fawkes, Guy
Carole S. Angell “Celebrations Around the World, A Multicultural Handbook” Pages 140-141
posted by Deborah Fulbright at
8:28 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home