Gunpowder, Treason and Plot

Gunpowder, Treason and Plot
The story behind Bonfire Night
This is the story of the Gunpowder Plot
and the people of Northamptonshire
who were involved when some men
tried to blow up a King a long time ago.
A bonfire poem
Remember, remember the fifth of November,
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
We see no reason
Why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot!
Guy Fawkes, guy, t'was his intent
To blow up King and Parliament.
Find out more:
Who else was involved in the plot?
Why did they want to blow up the King?
How was Guy Fawkes discovered?
Who made sure we never forgot?
Read on to find the answers to these
questions and more....
On 5 November 1605 Guy Fawkes was found hiding under
the Houses of Parliament with 36 barrels of gunpowder.
Guy Fawkes and his
friends wanted to
blow up King James I
The plotters were not happy
with the way James and his
ministers were treating
Catholics. Catholics believed
in the rules of the Pope and
the Roman Catholic Church.
James was a Protestant and
did not trust Catholics and so
made laws against them.
The plot was to blow up the
Houses of Parliament with
gunpowder when James and
all his Lord’s and ministers
were meeting to open
Parliament. They wanted to
replace him with a King who
was friendly to Catholics.
Doing anything to hurt the king
is called treason.
The man with the plan ~ Robert Catesby
This is Robert Catesby.
He was the brains behind
the plot.
Robert Catesby’s family
lived at Ashby St Ledgers
in Northamptonshire.
Catesby and the other plotters met in Northamptonshire to plot their treason!
Robert Catesby and his friends spent months and months
plotting. One day, Robert’s servant, Thomas Bates,
accidentally discovered the plot and decided to help.
The last plotter ~ Francis Tresham
This is Francis Tresham.
Francis lived at Rushton
Hall in Northamptonshire
and Robert Catesby’s
cousin.
He only joined the plot in
October 1605, a few
weeks before the planned
explosion!
The gunpowder plot discovered....
This is Baron Monteagle.
He was married to Francis
Tresham’s sister.
Someone, probably
Francis, sent him a letter
telling him not to go to
Parliament and asking him
to burn the letter...
He didn’t...
King James I’s spymaster gets a letter...
This is Robert Cecil, 1st
Earl of Salisbury
He was King James I
spymaster.
Instead of burning the
letter, Baron Monteagle
gave it to Cecil and he
sent men to search the
danger...
Heads on a spike...?
Local legends say the heads of the
Northamptonshire plotters were put on
spikes outside Northampton Castle as a
warning to people not to plot against the
King.
Thank God it failed...
This is Edward Montagu, 1st
Baron Montagu of Boughton.
He lived at Boughton House
in Northamptonshire.
He said people should thank
god the king was safe and
that there should be a
special day every year to
celebrate.
To make sure people did not forget an Act of Parliament
called The Observance of the 5th November Act was
passed. And that’s the story of why we celebrate each year!
The following slides have links to useful resources and ideas for
classroom activities.
TAKING IT FURTHER...
Ideas to extend your learning...
Literacy Links
Use role play or hot seat the main characters
to find out what they thought
History Links
Find out more about early 17th century life Explore pictures of clothing, food and drink of
the period
Art and design Links
• Make a model bonfire, or fireworks
• Design your own costumes for role play such as
Guy Fawkes masks & plotter hats
• Draw pictures telling different parts of the story.
• Paint portraits of the main characters.
Looking for more information?
www.jeron.je/anglia/learn/pri/history/guyfawk
www.remember-remember.com/schools/schools.php
www.parliament.uk/education/online-resources/parliamentexplained/the-gunpowder-plot/useful-links/
www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/shows/horrible-histories (see notes as
the clips available may change)
AND FINALLY... this year enjoy
Bonfire Night with a difference!
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An exciting opportunity to find out more and your bring learning to life at
Boughton House, the hidden home of Bonfire Night