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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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Gunpowder Plot
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The name from the late 18C (previously it had been called the Gunpowder Treason) for a conspiracy in 1605 by Robert Catesby and other Roman Catholics. Their plan, the prelude to a proposed Roman Catholic coup d'état, was to blow up the House of Lords on the opening day of the new session of parliament, when the king and queen would be present with peers and MPs. A soldier, Guy Fawkes (1570–1606), was entrusted with placing the explosives in the vault after an underground passage had been dug from a nearby cellar; he brought in 36 barrels of gunpowder.
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The plot failed because a conspirator, Francis Tresham, sent an anonymous message to his brother-in-law, Lord Monteagle, warning him not to attend the opening. The relevant day was November 5, and the barrels were discovered during the night of November 4 with Guy Fawkes alone among them (causing the annual festivities on November 5 to become known later as *Guy Fawkes Night.) Catesby and three others were killed resisting arrest, Tresham died in prison, and eight including Fawkes were tried and hanged. Some historians have suggested that ministers knew about the plot from the start and let it run its course to discredit the Catholics.
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