The Gunpowder Plot was a terrorist conspiracy formed in England in 1604, the second year of the reign of James I, by some Roman Catholics, to blow up the King and parliament in revenge for the severities against their religion that they had suffered by the government. The time ultimately fixed for the execution of the plot was the 5th of November, 1605, when parliament was to be opened by the king in person. The plot originated with Robert Catesby, Thomas Winter, and John Wright, and was at once made known to Guy Fawkes, a zealous Catholic, who had served in the Spanish army in Flanders, and to Thomas Percy, a relation of the Earl of Northumberland. These five were the original conspirators, but the plot was subsequently communicated to Sir Everard Digby, Ambrose Rookwood, Francis Tresham, Thomas Keyes, Christopher Wright (a brother of John), and to some Jesuit fathers and others.
The conspirators took a house next to the Parliament House, and their original plan was by digging under this house to undermine the House of Parliament. They latterly discovered, however, that there was a cellar right under the chamber of parliament, which was occupied by a coal-dealer. They at once hired this cellar, and filled it with gunpowder, faggots, and billets. The plot was discovered by means of a letter sent to Lord Mounteagle, a Catholic peer in favour with the court, who laid it before the secretary of state, Cecil. The letter was a warning couched in mysterious terms, not to be present at the approaching meeting of parliament. Cecil showed it to some of the council, and did nothing until the return of the king from a hunting party. On hearing the letter James at once worked out its meaning, and declared that it referred to gunpowder. This led to investigation and to the arrest of Fawkes in the cellar, where a hogshead and thirty-six barrels of gunpowder were discovered.
It generally thought that Tresham, the reputed author of the letter to Lord Mounteagle, had previously informed bis lordship of the plot, and that the sending and publication of the letter were merely intended as blinds. It seems also that Cecil, knowing the king's vanity, wanted to make him the discoverer of the plot.
Guy Fawkes was arrested at the scene, tortured and revealed the names of his co-conspirators, Catesby, Percy, and the two Wrights were killed while defending Holbeach House, in which they had taken refuge, against the sheriff. Sir Everard Digby was tried and executed at Northampton, Tresham died in prison., Rookwood, Winter, and others were arrested, confessions extracted under torture, and subsequently condemned at Westminster on the 27th of January 1606, and executed on the 30th and 31st.
There is serious doubt about the plot - it was for example too conveniently discovered in the nick of time, and the accused were not tried, but all confessed under torture, and it has been suggested that the entire plot was fabricated by the English authorities to discredit the catholic church and the Pope. Certainly following the alleged plot, persecution of the Catholics within Britain not only continued, but also increased in intensity. Research Gunpowder Plot
Ambrose Everett Burnside was an American soldier, gunsmith and politician. He was born in 1824 and died in 1881. A graduate of West Point in 1847 he was commander of the Army of the Potomac, before inventing a breech-loading rifle and retiring from the army to engage in business before becoming a Republican governor of Rhode Island from 1866 until 1868 and a US Senator for Rhode Island from 1875 until 1881. During the American Civil War he led a brigade at the first battle of Bull Run and in 1862 was placed in command of an expedition to North Carolina. Research Ambrose E. Burnside
Ambrose P Hill was an American soldier. He was born in 1825 and died in 1865. He graduated from the US Military Academy in 1847 and served during the Mexican War. At the outbreak of the American Civil War he was appointed a colonel in the Virginia volunteers and fought at Bull Run. He was promoted brigadier-general for bravery and commanded at Williamsburg, and was afterward promoted major-general. He took a prominent and aggressive part in the battles around Richmond, had important commands at Antietam, Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville, and was brevetted lieutenant-general. He led a corps at Gettysburg, and met his death in defence of Petersburg. Research Ambrose Hill
ClementLaird Vallandighma was an American lawyer and politician. Je was born in 1822 and died in 1871. A lawyer and active Democratic politician in Ohio, he served in the Legislature of that State, and was Congressman from 1857 until 1863. He bitterly opposed the Government as the American Civil War progressed, and became noted as the most extreme of Northern sympathizers with the Confederacy. General Ambrose E. Burnside arrested him, and he was banished. From the Confederate States he went to Canada, and while there was nominated for Governor by the Ohio Democrats in 1863. He was defeated by Brough by a majority of 100,000. The following year he was a member of the Democratic National Convention. Research Clement Vallandigham
Jesse L Reno was an American soldier. He was born in 1823 and died in 1862. As a general he served at Contreras, Churubusco, Chapultepec and Vera Cruz during the Mexican War. He commanded a brigade in Ambrose E. Burnside's North Carolina expedition at Roanoke Island, Fort Barton and New Berne. He commanded a corps under General Pope at Manassas and at South Mountain, where he was killed while leading an assault. Research Jesse Reno
John Gay was an English dramatist and poet. He was born in 1685 at Barnstaple and died in 1732. He published his first poem, 'Wine' in 1708. Apprenticed to a silk mercer in London, in 1712 he became secretary to Anne, Duchess of Monmouth. In 1713 he published his Rural Sports, which he dedicated to Pope, with whom he formed a close friendship. In 1714 his caricature of Ambrose Philips' pastoral poetry was published, under the title of the Shepherd's Week, and dedicated to LordBolingbroke, by whose interest he was appointed secretary to the Earl of Clarendon, in his embassy to the court of Hanover. His mock-heroic poem, Trivia, or the Art of Walking the Streets of London, appeared in 1715, and in that year also was acted his burlesquedrama of What d'ye Call It? but his next piece, the farce Three Hours after Marriage, altogether failed. In 1720 he published his poems by subscription, in 1724 his tragedy, The Captives, and in 1727 his well-known Fables. His Beggar's Opera, the notion of which seems to have been afforded by Swift, was first acted in 1728, at Lincoln's Inn Fields, where it ran for sixty-three nights, but the lord-chamberlain refused to license for performance a second part entitled Polly. He also wrote the pastoralAcis and Galatea and the operaAchilles. The closing years of his life were mostly spent in the house of the Duke of Queensberry. Research John Gay
Joseph Hooker was an American soldier. He was born in 1814 at Massachusetts and died in 1879. Educated at West Point, he was brevetted lieutenant-colonel for his gallant service during the Mexican War from 1846 until 1848. He was appointed a brigadier-general of the National forces in 1861, and commanded a division in 1862 in the Army of the Potomac. He was brevetted major-general for services at Yorktown, Williamsburg and Malvern Hill. He had important commands at South Mountain, Antietam and Fredericksburg. In 1863 he succeeded Ambrose E. Burnside in command of the Army of the Potomac, and conducted the Battle of Chancellorsville, but, being unsuccessful, was soon after succeeded by General George Meade. He was assigned command in the Army of the Cumberland, and fought at Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge. He accompanied Sherman in his march through Georgia until the siege of Atlanta. He was brevetted major-general in the regular army in 1865, and retired in 1868. Research Joseph Hooker
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