Remember, Remember the 5th of November: Why Does the UK Celebrate Guy Fawkes night?

Last Updated on 1st March 2023 by Sophie Nadeau

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For the past couple of nights, my evenings have been punctuated with the intermittent sound of fireworks. Sitting in my little room on the outskirts of London, this has been a little distracting! The reason for all of these fireworks? Well, it’s almost the 5th of November. In the UK, this means it’s Guy Fawkes Night. But who exactly was Guy Fawkes and why does the UK celebrate Guy Fawkes Night?

Who Was Guy Fawkes?

Since being sentenced to death following a failed plot to blow up parliament and King James I in the 17th Century, Guy Fawkes has become an icon for anarchists around the world. But who exactly was Guy Fawkes and where did he come from? Here’s a quick look at Guy Fawkes signature and other interesting facts surrounding the 5th November Gunpowder Plot.

Guy Fawkes was a staunch Catholic who hated the fact that England had a protestant King. He felt that it was his duty to ‘restore order’ and ensure that the King was dethroned. His method of choice? Murder.

You may have noticed that the UK still has a royal family, and as of 2023, a King. In fact, it’s one of only a handful countries in the World that can still claim the title of having a reigning monarchy. Once upon a time, however, this almost wasn’t the case!

Guy Fawkes was born circa the 13th April 1570 (a Tuesday) in York to a protestant family. I say ‘around‘ the 13th because no one is quite sure! That Fawkes was born into a Catholic family is interesting in itself as it was Fawkes Catholic beliefs in later life that led him to become involved in the Gunpowder plot against the protestant King.

In fact, Fawkes only converted to catholicism upon the remarriage of his mother when he was eight years old. Following a childhood in the North of England, Fawkes grew to inherit his late father’s estate.

However, by the age of 21 he had sold it, instead favouring to pursue a military career. Fawkes emigrated to Spain where he aided the Catholic Spanish army in fighting the Dutch Protestant one.  During his time abroad, he adopted the name ‘Guido’.

Fighting for a nation that had not long ago been at was with England (after all, the Spanish armada had only been in 1588), left Fawkes out of favour with the British nation. Sometime in the early 1600s, Fawkes ended his military career and returned to England. He felt that the British Nation should become catholic once more, hence his joining of the Gunpowder plot.

Although Guy Fawkes may have become the most famous man associated with the gunpowder plot, he wasn’t actually the ringleader. Furthermore, Guy Fawkes wasn’t actually ‘hung, drawn and quartered’, but committed suicide to avoid the pain of such a grisly execution.

The gunpowder plot (also once known as Gunpowder Treason Plot) was the brainchild of a select few elite men. Guy Fawkes came from a military background and so had an extensive knowledge of gunpowder. Therefore, the idea was that the men would blow up the House of Lords (part of parliament) while King James I was holding court using copious amounts of gunpowder.

If all had gone to plan, then the House of Lords would have been blown up on the 5th November 1605. However, an anonymous letter was received by a Lord close to the King and soldiers were quickly sent out to see if there was any substance to the rumours.

On the 4th November, just one day before the plot was supposed to take place, soldiers discovered Fawkes guarding gunpowder below the Houses of Parliament. He was swiftly arrested.

Guy Fawkes Signature and other memorabilia

Guy Fawkes’ Written Confession

Despite being caught red-handed- quite literally with his hand in the gunpowder so to speak- Fawkes was still put through the rigmarole of writing and signing a confession to prove that he had, indeed, been plotting against the King.

Guy Fawkes Signature

Fawkes endured two days of torture before finally confessing to the crime of treason against the King. His beliefs and resistance to torture earned him the respect of the most unlikely of people; including King James Ist himself.

In fact, it was not until the 7th November, a full three days after he had been arrested, that he revealed his true name to be ‘Guy Fawkes’. Perhaps one of the greatest points of interest is the fact that Guy Fawkes was also known as Guido Fawkes (as seen on his torture Guy Fawkes signature).

He adopted the name Guido as he wanted to feel more European, perhaps as a nod to his staunch catholic faith. He took on the name while fighting for the Spanish Catholics against the Protestant Dutch in the late 16th Century.

The Houses of Parliament that Guy Fawkes tried to blow up burned down

The Iconic houses of Parliament (complete with the clock tower that houses the iconic ‘Big Ben’ bell!) that we see today were only constructed following the burning down of the medieval houses of parliament in 1834 (a story for another day)…

Guy Fawkes in modern day culture!

Notable uses of Fawkes’ legacy as inspiration includes The Hacktivist group anonymous using a mask based on his face. This very same style of mask was made iconic by the film V for Vendetta (definitely watch this if you haven’t before!).

The mask representing Fawkes has become a symbol of freedom of speech, protest and anonymity. The mask has been used in protests in the USA, Poland and many more countries across the globe.

There’s an island named GUY FAWKES!

Perhaps the mark of your name immortalised is having a place named after you. Well, Fawkes has an entire island! Two little islets come together to form the Isla Guy Fawkes and belong to Ecuador. However, before you get any ideas about packing up your bags and moving to this anarchist inspired isle, it’s worth noting that they’re uninhabited!

Why the 5th of November? Why does the UK celebrate Guy Fawkes Night?

The 5th of November was the day that should have gone well for Guy Fawkes and the other members of the gunpowder plot. Instead, it went terribly wrong. The plot was discovered, foiled and the men were put to death for their crimes.

The sentence was held on the 27th January 1606; all eight defendants were found guilty. They were promptly sentenced to being hung, drawn and quartered.

However, although many believe that this is how Guy Fawkes died, this was not the case. In fact, to avoid such an excrutiating death, Fawkes jumped from a tower and died by suicide.

As a show of the King’s power, it was encouraged by all citizens of England to celebrate the death of Fawkes and his accomplices and to celebrate the survival of the King. Effigies of Guy Fawkes were burned on bonfires and big parties were held. As a commemoration of the King’s life being saved, the 5th November was turned into a public holiday.

Like the transporting of pumpkin carving to the USA, Guy Fawkes night was a tradition taken to the USA by the first settlers in the 17th Century.

However, over time, this tradition slowly but surely started dying out, after all, there’s no King in the USA! The final straw to the celebration of the 5th of November in America was the American Civil War.

5th November Today!

Today, Guy Fawkes night is still celebrated throughout the UK by burning straw figures representing Fawkes, fireworks and all-around celebrations. Guy Fawkes night is a celebration of the execution of men who were ‘treasonous’ towards the crown of England.

So maybe next time you’re munching on a toffee apple or watching a Catherine Wheel twirl around, you’ll think of the roots of this traditional British Holiday!

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