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The Guy Fawkes Mask- Origins and Evolution
Before there was the graphic novel V for Vendettaby Alan Moore (1982-1985), or the movie of the same name (2005), there
were "Guys"-- men dressed up in women's clothing, wearing blackface or
masks. And there were effigies of Guy Fawkes, often wearing masks, that were part of
annual bonfire celebrations and processions as well as generalized charivari activities
centered around Bonfire Treason Day, Guy Fawkes Day or Bonfire Night
which is celebrated on November 5, the anniversary of the
Gunpowder Plot of 1605.
This page
explores the origins and evolution of the mask and its design. Two
traditions generally have informed the design and use of the mask. The
first is the necessity to conceal the identities of participants and the
second is to assist in the creation of effigies. Both traditions change
through time. The use of the mask in "people power" protests as
depicted in V for Vendetta has its origin in the need to disguise
participants in order to avoid arrest. In Britain, in order to be
arrested a person's identity had to be determined.
The design of the mask and effigy derive in part from descriptions of Fawkes:
"a tall, powerfully built man, with thick
reddish-brown hair, a flowing moustache in the tradition of the time,
and a bushy reddish-brown beard."
-Fraser, Antonia, (2005) [1996], The Gunpowder Plot, p.84.
The design was also informed by
contemporary engravings of the plotters. This one was done by Hogberg.
The engravings most likely are accurate as the artists and their
representatives traveled widely in England where they had many patrons and where many of the
plotters were well known.
Although the source of the primary description
remains obscure, it might be observed that neither the description nor
the print are identical to the mask as it evolved. This may indicate
that the design concept merged with existant types incorporating
attributes of other evil characters, possibly the devil.
Prior to the formalization of the design concept, effigies did not have
masks but were designed to appear as military men, later this image
turned to that of a clown.
In earliest processions the effigy was not of Guy Fawkes but of the
Devil. Later Guy became known as the "Devil in the Vault," In this way
attributes of the devil may have been merged with those of Fawkes.
-Broadside, Boston, South end forever [cut] North end forever. Extraordinary verses on Pope-night.
or, A commemoration the fifth of November, giving a history of the attempt,
made by the papishes, to blow up king and Parliament, A. D. 1588. Together
with some account of the Pope himself, and his wife Joan: with several
other things worthy of notice, too tedious to mention. Sold by the printers
boys in Boston [1768].
The later clown-like design aspect comes from
the world view of the time which regarded Fawkes as a failed freedom
fighter. Other images, such as those done by Cruikshank for the novels of
Ainsworth, depict Fawkes more seriously. More to come.
Early works by Cruikshank portray as a military man all be it silly.
Written accounts such as those below describe the
evolution of the concept of disguise or "Guising." Events such as these
led to the removal of Gunpowder Treason Day from the Book of Common Prayer
in 1859. This was done so that authorities had greater powers to shut
down demonstrations once the day was no longer a national holiday. From
these events Moore in V for Vendetta derived his concept of
demonstrations by participants in Fawkes Masks exercising "people
power." Accounts of demonstrations on the fifth of November prior to the
revolution in the American colonies made the concerns of the
authorities well founded. Stamp Act protests which led to the
revolution were modeled after celebrations of the fifth of November.
Such protests, while threatening, never resulted in significant loss of
life or destruction of property, hence the allusion to peaceful protest
in V for Vendetta. However, these celebrations were never quiet!
JAMES WHEELER, JOHN DENNIS, GEORGE DUFF,
DANIEL JOHN QUAY, THOMAS GROVES, Violent Theft > highway robbery,
Violent Theft > highway robbery, 4th December 1828.
Reference Number: t18281204-181
Second Middlesex Jury - Before Mr. Baron Hullock.
180.
JAMES WHEELER
,
JOHN DENNIS
,
GEORGE DUFF
,
DANIEL JOHN
QUAY
,
and THOMAS GROVES
, were indicted for
feloniously assaulting
Thomas Brooks
on the King's highway, on the 5th of November
, at St. Leonard, Shoreditch, putting him
in fear, and taking from his person, and against his will, 1 purse,
value 6d.; 5 sovereigns, and 1 watch, value 50l. , his
property.
MR. ADOLPHUS conducted the prosecution
MR.
THOMAS BROOKS
. I am a
merchant , of the
City. On the 5th of November, about eleven o'clock in the morning, I was
near the Rosemary Branch public-house, at Hoxton
, walking in the
public-way, and observed a mob coming from Hoxton in a contrary
direction to what I was going - there were thirty of forty of them; they
had an ass, and a man in disguise sat on it - I stepped from the
foot-path into the road, to make way for them; part of the mob (probably
half of them) passed me, when one of the mob seized my watch-ribbon; I
seized another part of it and struggled with him; I seized the upper
part, nearest to the watch - I struggled with him, and others came and
got the watch out of my fob; and as I still retained hold of the ring,
they began to beat me with sticks- in the struggle, the ring which
fastened the ribbon to the watch, broke, and then they got my watch;
they struck me about the head and shoulders with sticks, and one blow
came on my face, and cut me in two places, which bled; they immediately
left me and went towards the Rosemary Branch; I should think the whole
transaction did not last more than four or five minutes - some persons
afterwards came and assisted me; I went into a house - a surgeon, who
was passing, came and dressed my face - after that, I went to put my
hand to my pocket to give the surgeon something, and found my pocket
turned out, and my purse containing five sovereigns was gone; I saw the
prisoners at the office, and cannot swear that either of them were among
the men.
JOHN JOHNSON
. I live with my
father, at No. 25, Queen-street, Spitalfields. On the 5th of November,
at half-past
nine o'clock in the morning, I was coming down Brick-lane, a young man
snatched my cap off and ran into George-street with it, and there was a
whole mob with a man - they had a young man with a mask on his face in
the mob - there was no donkey then; they took the man up in their arms
and carried him down George-street - and when they came to near the end
of George-street they turned round another street, and round another at
the end of that, and went up Hare-street-fields; they there met three or
four young men coming with a donkey, and sat the man in the mask on it -
they then went down towards Bethnal-green-road into Hackney-road,
crossed there, and down some more turnings into Philip-street.
Q.
Well; did you see Mr. Brooks at any time? A. Yes; I was in what I think
is called Hyde-place - a good many of them collected round him; some
went on in front and came back again; they all turned to him, and John
Quay struck him with a stick; I am certain of Quay's person; they all
got round him, and I saw a young man put his hand to his watch and pull
it out; I should know him again I think - it was not any of the
prisoners; he took his watch, and then ran away across the bridge and
down a place - I saw Wheeler there, he was round the mob and acting with
them; I did not see him do any thing - he was among the men who were
engaged about the prosecutor. I got my cap from the young man.
Q.After
the gentleman was robbed, what became of the party? A. They all went
across the brick-field - they kept together while they were in my sight;
I saw an officer and told him, and came to Worship-street with him.
Cross-examined by MR. PHILLIPS. Q. Was there not a great many persons there? A. Yes, it was GuyFawkes
- there were forty or fifty in the crowd, and great
confusion among them; I am above thirteen years old - I was very much
frightened.
Q.Were you not a good deal occupied in
trying to get your cap during a good deal of the time? A. Yes: the
occurrence with the prosecutor was over in about five minutes.
Cross-examined
by MR. BODKIN. Q. You are quite sure the man who stole the watch is not
here? A. Yes; quite sure - I have seen them about the streets before; I
was looking at Wheeler particularly, and saw him do nothing.
MR.
ADOLPHUS. Q.Had you got your cap before the robbery of after? A.When
they all came round the robbery - I have seen Quay about the street, and
am positive I saw him strike the gentleman.
THOMAS ALDER
. I am a
butcher. I was present at the first of the transaction about the Guy;
I saw the prisoner Wheeler first running with a stick about half-past
nine o'clock in the morning, when I was at home at breakfast; I looked
out of the window - they brought a young man down to be a Guy,
but he would not; they got another, and dressed him out with ribbons
and leaves; I saw no more; Wheeler was busy about it; he had on a blue
jacket and trousers, and a hairy-cap.
Cross-examined by MR. BODKIN. Q. Where was this? A. In Cheesman's-court, George-street, Bethnal-green.
SARAH TAYLOR
. I live
in King's-row, close to the Rosemary Branch. I saw a Guy
and the mob; I was close to Mr. Brooks with my little girl; I saw Mr.
Brooks step out of the carriage-road on to the footpath out of their way
- I saw the crowd rush against him, and I suppose that was about three
minutes before they got his watch; they struck him three or four times
on his face and head - the blood gushed out of him and came on my hand:
Wheeler and Dennis were there; I saw Wheeler rush against Mr. Brooks for
the space of half a minute, and then I saw his hand in his pocket; I
did not see Dennis do any thing, but he had a stick in his hand, and was
close with Mr. Brooks.
Cross-examined by MR.
BODKIN. Q.How old was your child? A.Four years - she was walking; she
was alarmed and cried, and I was alarmed; I am sure I was close to Mr.
Brooks, and observed the crowd before they came up to him.
Q.
Did you observe before they came up that they had a quarrel among
themselves, and were striking each other? A. No, I did not; there might
be four or six persons close to Mr. Brooks at the time I saw Wheeler's
hand in his pocket - but I saw Wheeler for the space of half a moment
before he went up to Mr. Brooks; I did not say the mob all rushed on him
together - I do not mean to say they went up singly; the footpath is
only on one side of the road and I was on that side; I know Moss, he was
not there - I did not see him there.
HENRY PAGE
. I am a
butcher. On the 5th of November, about eleven o'clock in the day,
Wheeler came to my shop; I live about fifty yards from where Mr. Brooks
was robbed - I saw none of the transaction, but saw Mr. Brooks bleeding
afterwards; Wheeler came in a direction from where Mr. Brooks was
bleeding, about that time - Mrs. Taylor was in my shop two minutes
before, and went towards where Mr. Brooks was robbed.
SAMUEL BOULTON
. I am a
coal-dealer. On the day Mr. Brooks was robbed, I saw Wheeler at Page's
window, apparently asking for money - that was about ten minutes past
eleven o'clock; he followed the mob, and joined them; I did not see Mr.
Brooks, but saw a scuffle - I cannot say whether Wheeler was in the
scuffle, but I saw him join that part of the mob.
Q.What was the scuffle? A. They were striking a person with sticks, and surrounding him; I cannot say it was Mr. Brooks.
JAMES LITTON
. I am a
butcher. I met the GuyFawkes
at Haggerstone about an hour before the robbery, about ten o'clock, but
saw no more of them; I cannot recognise any of the prisoners but Groves
- he was at the latter part of the mob; I met the mob; one on the
opposite side called out to knock my hat off, and another immediately
said, "Knock his head off;" I took out my steel, and one of them
said,"No, No;" I cannot say who it was, but believe it was Groves trying
to prevent their touching me.
WILLIAM BARLOW
. I am a
coal and corn-dealer. I saw a parcel of men and boys coming up the lane
by my house, on the 5th of November, about eleven o'clock; I live at
the corner of Haggerstone-lane, about a quarter of a mile from where Mr.
Brooks was robbed; to the best of my recollection Duff was among them; I
never saw him before - I saw nothing of the robbery.
JOSEPH DORMER
. On the
5th of November, about eleven o'clock, I saw some persons on the
canal-bridge; I
do
not know how far it was from where Mr. Brooks was robbed - they were
running; I saw Duff among them, and saw him strike a donkey with a
stick: I did not see Mr. Brooks.
RICHARD SAUNDERS
. I
am a constable. On the 5th of November, I was at work in Bridport-place,
in the parish of Shoreditch; there was a cry of Stop thief! I ran out,
and followed a gang of about thirty as far as the brickfields in
Ball's-pond - they stopped there, and threatened to rip me up; I cannot
say whether either of the prisoners were there.
THOMAS HAYWOOD
. I
live in Pelham-street. On the 5th of November I saw the GuyFawkes;
I was near the place where Mr. Brooks was robbed and wounded - I was
not quite so near to him as to Mr. Goodyear, who was robbed; I came up
after Mr. Brooks was robbed - I saw Wheeler and Groves there - I did not
see them doing any thing; it was over: they were going up further -
about forty or fifty persons were with them.
JOSHUA ARMSTRONG
. I
am an officer. I apprehended Wheeler on the 10th of November, at a
public-house, and asked him where he was on the 5th - be said he was at
home from nine o'clock in the morning till between one and two, making
fire-works; nothing further passed then; after I brought him out of the
tap-room I told him to go in and sit down again, not being satisfied
sufficiently to take him, and in less than five minutes we had
information that he had left the house, and was gone to the Bull's Head
public-house; I went there, and took him - I told him the charge; he
said he should like to see the party, to see if they should know him -
he was taken to different houses, and then to the Whitmore's Head,
Hoxton; I sent for Taylor, told her to go into the room, and see if she
knew any body - she went in, came out, and said she knew one man there,
and pointed out Wheeler as one of the men who were round Mr. Brooks at
the time he was robbed; Page, the butcher, went in - he came out, and
said he knew one man, and pointed out Wheeler: I then told Waters, in
the prisoner's presence, to take him - he called to me, in the
prisoner's presence, and said, "I want to speak to you;" I went, and
Wheeler said, "I am not going to suffer for other chaps - I know the
chap who robbed him, and I had a sovereign out of the money at the
Halifax Arms, next day;" Groves came to me and surrendered, as he had
heard I had been to his master's about him.
Cross-examined
by MR. BODKIN. Q.How far is the second public-house from the first?
A.About two hundred yards - I had not told him the charge; when I first
took him, I asked him about the 5th of November: I went to look after
him again in three minutes - I found him then in custody.
THOMAS WATERS
. I am
an officer of Worship-street. I was with Armstrong when Wheeler was
taken - after he had been identified, as I was taking him to the
watch-house, he said it was hard to suffer for other people; I
immediately called Armstrong to him - he said, "If you will do what is
right, I will do what is right;" I said I always did right on duty; he
then said, "It was not me that took the purse - it was another chap that
took it, and gave me a sovereign out of it the next day, at the Halifax
Arms;" I said he had better disclose that to the Magistrate.
WHEELER'S
Defence. When Armstrong took me out of the Halifax Arms he let me go
again: I went in for a few minutes, and came out and went to the Bull's
Head - a man stopped me, and said I wanted to rob him of a cart; he took
me into the house - the officers came and said,"We have got you now,
and will keep you;" they took me to two or three houses - then took me
to a house in Hoxton, among a parcel of respectable people, and fetched
the woman in; I was sitting by the side of an officer, and she said,
"That is one of them," and as we went along Hattfield said, "I know you
know about it, why don't you tell me whether any of the people at the
Halifax Arms were with you or not?" I said, "I don't know" - he said,"If
you will tell me of six people, I will let you go;" I said, "Would you
have me swear to six innocent people? I will do no such a thing" - I
have witnesses to prove Taylor has forsworn herself.
QUAY's Defence. People outside can swear I was at home at the time.
GEORGE CECIL
. I am a
silk-weaver, and live at No. 37, St. John-street; Quay lives in my
house, and is in my employ: on the 5th of November I saw him first -
about a quarter to eight o'clock he got up; he is a weaver, and works in
my house - I had occasion to go out at twenty minutes to eleven
o'clock, and left him at work; my wife was then out - I returned at
half-past eleven, and found him at home at work; I did not notice his
shoes to see if he had been out - I know his father; he was not in my
house that day.
MR. ADOLPHUS. Q.What first called
your attention to the prisoner on the 5th of November? A.Because I was
at work on the 5th, and he worked; I was at work on the 4th and 6th, and
he also - I cannot say how far my place is from Hoxton.
MR.
PHILLIPS. Q. Do you know where Hoxton is? A. Yes - Quay has lived in my
house about three years; he bears an excellent good character - I have
left him in my place for days and half days together; I have a deal of
silk there.
BETSY CECIL
. I am the wife of
the last witness. I saw Quay at work on the 5th of November, at
half-past ten o'clock; I went out soon after that - he is a hard-working
industrious young man.
MR. ADOLPHUS. Q. Did you or your husband go out first? A. I did - at what time he went out I do not know; I did not meet him.
JAMES JOHN QUAY
. I am
the prisoner's father - he was at work on the 5th of November; he came
up to my place where I live, which is right opposite Cecil's, and asked
me to give him a bit of stuff to mend his harness - that was about ten
minutes before eleven o'clock; after I gave it to him he walked towards
the back-window - some boys were letting off some little cannons in the
yard; he looked at them, came from the window, and said, "Father, it is
just gone eleven o'clock, I shall go back and get to work till dark, and
then leave off.
MR. ADOLPHUS. Q. About what time
of day did he come to you? A. About ten minutes before eleven o'clock- I
know the time by what he told me; he told me the clock had struck
eleven - he goes by Spitalfield's clock, which is about a quarter of a
mile from our window, and we can plainly hear it; I did not hear it - I
am not so quick of hearing, but my daughter heard it.
JOSEPH FLETCHER MOSS
.
I live at No. 29, Pool-street, New North-road, and am a tailor. I know
Sarah Taylor
- she was a tenant of mine prior to Michaelmas twelve month;
I saw her on the 5th of November at the bottom of Abury-street, facing
the canal, about one hundred and fifty or two hundred yards from where
the robbery was committed - she had a child in her arms; she remained
there in conversation with me about five minutes - there was then a
party, a mob returning from towards the Rosemary Branch - she walked
towards the mob, and I walked home.
Q. Could
you, where you stood, see any thing done in the scuffle? A.Certainly not
- she was nearer to it than me, but I did not see the scuffle - it was
half an hour after.
MR. ADOLPHUS. Q. This was after the robbery was over? A. Yes.
Seven witnesses deposed to the good character of Quay, and the same number to that of Wheeler.
WHEELER
- GUILTY -
DEATH . Aged 21.
QUAY - GUILTY - DEATH . Aged 17.
Quay
recommended to
Mercy by the Jury on account or his good character .
DENNIS - NOT GUILTY .
DUFF - NOT GUILTY .
GROVES - NOT GUILTY .
The
said prisoners were all again indicted for
feloniously assaulting
Sarah
Warner
on the King's highway, on the 5th of November
, putting her in fear, and taking from her
person, and against her will, 1 handkerchief, value 1s.; 3 shillings; 12
halfpence, and 6 keys, her property. Also for feloniously assaulting
John Goodyear
, on the same day, and taking from his
person, and against his will, 1 seal, value 1s., and 1 key, value 6d.,
his property ; but no evidence was offered.
ACQUITTED
Disgraceful Riot at Malton.—A 5th of November
outrage of the most disgraceful nature occurred at Malton on Tuesday night.
About 6 o’clock crowds of men and boys began to assemble in the streets, and
for four hours literally took possession of the town.About 9 o’clock the crowd must have reached
500 people, who moved from street to street, setting all law and order at
defiance.The police were totally
powerless, and whenever they attempted to assert their authority they were
hooted and mobbed, stones and fireworks being thrown at them.For every policeman there were at least 100
marauders.For four hours the town was
in a most disgraceful state, at times as many as a dozen rockets being fired at
once.It is no exaggeration to say
hundreds of rockets, squibs and crackers were let off in the streets.For several hours it was impossible to pass
along the streets, and at one period it was thought desirable that special constables
should be sworn in.As night advanced,
and the places where fireworks could be obtained were closed the crowd
gradually dispersed.Guns and pistols
however, were fired for some time, and one young man had his arm fearfully
shattered.A disturbance so disgraceful
and lawless has never before occurred at Malton.
TOL
4 November 1870 Page 6 col b.
The Fifth of November.—Great apprehension prevails in the
town of Godalming, in Surrey,
lest the 5th of November should be marked by a serious breach of the
peace.For many years it has been
customary to have a display of fireworks in the streets, but through the force
of public opinion the practice had nearly died out, and there was no reason to
suppose that anything more than a few squibs and crackers would be furtively
let off.A few days since, however, some
18 or 20 persons forwarded a requisition to the mayor for a public meeting,
with a view to prevent altogether the letting off of fireworks.This attempt by a portion of the inhabitants
to stop the pyrotechnic display elicited a great deal of opposition from those
whom it was their intention to overawe.The mayor convened a meeting in the Town-hall, which was soon filled to
suffocation, while a noisy mob outside joined its demonstrations to those which
were made within.The Rev. W. D. Long,
the vicar, proposed “That this meeting resolves that the mayor and corporation
of Godalming be called on to take sufficient means to stop the letting off of
fireworks, the same being the cause of great damage to property, fright to
persons, and stoppage to business.” The resolution having been seconded, amidst
a scene of great confusion, Mr. H. Bridger moved, as an amendment, “That the
corporation not having sufficient means to stop the letting off of fireworks,
and the 5th of November being too near at hand to concert any
measures of prevention, no steps be taken in the matter.”The amendment was carried, with only four
dissenters, the Vicar protesting that it was illegal.The mayor asked those who had voted for the
amendment to hold up their hands in favour of the preservation of order, but
the meeting broke up amid great confusion.On the Rev. Mr. Long emerging into the street he was mobbed, and the
crowd sang in lusty chorus “The Sour Apple Tree.” with special reference to the
rev. gentleman, while a few of the roughs raised a cry of “Chuck him into the
river.” No one, however, used personal violence, the police and many
well-disposed persons being at hand to prevent any such attempt, and he was
eventually allowed to proceed to his home in peace.The stormy proceedings of the meeting and the
behaviour of the crowd on this occasion here naturally caused great alarm, and
the borough authorities have deemed it advisable to take extra precautions to
preserver the peace. The Home Secretary has been communicated with, and the
following letter addressed to the Mayor of Godalming, has been received:-
“Whitehall, Nov.1,--Sir,--I am directed by Mr. Secretary Bruce to inform you
that representations have been made to him respecting the proceedings of a
public meeting recently held at the Town-hall at Godalming, where it was
proposed that measures should be adopted to prevent the letting off of fireworks
in the streets of that place on the approaching 5th of November; and
in calling your attention thereto, although the Secretary of State has no doubt
that you will feel the necessity of taking such precautionary measures as will
prevent ay disturbance of the public order, I am to remind you that the
practices complained of are not only objectionable as tending to cause
inconvenience and excite alarm, but are expressly opposed to the Godalming
Local Act and the General Highways Acts, which forbid the letting off of squibs
and fireworks in the public highways; and Mr. Bruce hopes, therefore, that you
will take decided and effectual measures for securing obedience to the law.”-E.
N. Knatchbull-Hugessen.”The Mayor has issued
copies of the above letter in a public notice which has been extensively
circulated, and has called upon every male inhabitant of the borough between
the ages of 18 and 50 to attend at the Town-hall for the purpose of being sworn
in as a special constable to preserve the peace should it be threatened by
to-morrow’s expected proceedings.In
addition to these precautions it is understood that the assistance of a body of
police from London
will be secured, so that anything short of an actual riot will be put down by a
force of overwhelming strength.The more
influential portion of the inhabitants condemn the action of the
requisitionists who called the public meeting, and assert that the 5th
of November saturnalia would have died a natural death but for the ill-advised
proceedings by which the gauntlet has been thrown down to the lower orders of
the population.
-Times Of London
1847 One hundred and seventy 'of the principal tradesmen and
other
respectable
inhabitants' were summoned to be sworn in as special
constables. On their
way to a meeting on the night of November 4th, they
were attacked by
Bonfire Boys in the High Street. Tar-barrels were lighted
and several
incidents occurred. The police fastened a chain across the road
near Keere Street and
ambushed some of the 'Boys', who were arrested.
The next day, 100 of
the 'A! Division of the Metropolitan Constabulary
arrived, and great
was the excitement in Lewes that evening. It was an
incident involving
the mail-gig from Brighton which brought
things to a
head. Lord
Chichester read the Riot Act from the steps of the County Hall
and gave the crowd
five minutes in which to depart. In the free fight that
ensued, many of the
Metropolitan Police were injured, but the streets were
When did Masks become Essential?
This image of 1805 demonstrates that masks were not an essential part of the celebration at that time.
The image below of a village celebration of 1857 also
shows that neither fancy dress, masquerade. nor masks were
essential components for celebrants.
While conclusive research has yet to be done it appears
that masquerade, and fancy dress did not come into the tradition until
the formation of bonfire societies in the mid to late 19th century.
Jim Etherington notes in the history of the Cliffe Bonfire Society in
Lewes Sussex: "the bonfire boys were compelled to hold their
celebrations in Wallands Park, away from the High Street,
until
1850. In that year the reintroduction of the Catholic
hierarchy
into Britain led the town authorities to permit the
celebrations
to return to the High Street. However this return to the
streets
of Lewes was marked by a significant change in the
celebration’s
character and heralded the formation of the Cliffe
Bonfire Society. Recognising that riotous proceedings would
no longer be tolerated the bonfire boys formed themselves into Bonfire
Societies and set about organising military style torchlight processions
efficiently marshalled by members resplendent in various titles
including Commander-in-Chief, Staff Officer and Inspector General." -http://www.cliffebonfire.com/history.html This
does not mean that the mask concept had not evolved but that a new
politically correct phase of the development of "bonfire" had begun.
This phase called for more organized masquerade style costuming most
likely including the Guy concept.
The image below depicts a 19th Century bonfire celebration in
Lewes, Sussex UK. The only guy like representation present is the
effigy. A general masquerade atmosphere seems to dominate.
The many functions of the same mask concept/design can be sen in William Hogarth's work of 1725- 1726, " Burning ye Rumps at Temple-Barr. Down with the rump parliament." from Hudibras.
This is an early reference to a procession of effigies, of
the rumps being taken to bonfires, which Hogarth illustrates in keeping
with the references in the text to the Gunpowder Plot and Butler refers
to in terms of thanksgiving. (the celebration of the deliverance from
the Gunpowder Treason was considered a Thanksgiving celebration) One can assume that Hogarth is portraying accurately a Guy Fawkes/Bonfire procession of the first quarter of the 18th century.
Hudibras, Samuel Butler.1663-1678, Canto 2, Part
III
Who star'd about, as pale as death,
And, for a while, as out of breath,
Till, having gathered up his wits,
He thus began his tale by fits:
That beastly rabble—that came down 1505
From all the garrets—in the town,
And stalls, and shop-boards—in vast swarms,
With new-chalk'd bills—and rusty arms,
To cry the cause—up, heretofore,
And bawl the bishops—out of door; 1510
Are now drawn up—in greater shoals,
To roast—and broil us on the coals,
And all the grandees—of our members
Are carbonading—on the embers;
Knights, citizens, and burgesses— 1515
Held forth by rumps—of pigs and geese,
That serve for characters—and badges
To represent their personages.
Each bonfire is a funeral pile,
In which they roast, and scorch, and broil,
And ev'ry representative
Have vow'd to roast—and broil alive:
And 'tis a miracle we are not
Already sacrific'd incarnate;
For while we wrangle here, and jar, 1525
W are grilly'd all at Temple-bar;
Some, on the sign-post of an ale-house,
Hang in effigy, on the gallows,3
Made up of rags to personate
Respective officers of state; 1530
That, henceforth, they may stand reputed,
Proscrib'd in law, and executed,
And, while the work is carrying on,
Be ready listed under Dun,
That worthy patriot, once the bellows, 1535
And tinder-box of all his fellows ;
Some, on the sign-post of an ale-house,
Hang
in effigy, on the gallows,] For, or instead of, a gallows, would, perhaps, be a
more correct reading: it is better to hang the effigy on the sign-post, than
the original on the lamp-iron.
Who, for his faithful service then,
Is chosen for a fifth agen: 1540
For since the state has made a quint
Of generals, he's listed in 't.s
This worthy, as the world will say,
Is paid in specie, his own way;
For, moulded to the life, in clouts, 1546
They've pick'd from dunghills hereabouts,
He's mounted on a hazel bavin'
A cropp'd malignant baker gave 'em ;
And to the largest bonfire riding,
They've roasted Cook already, and Pride in ;
He's
mounted on a hazel bavin] An hazel faggot, such as bakers heat their ovens
with.
On whom, in equipage and state,
His scare-crow fellow-members wait,
And march in order, two and two,
As at thanksgivings th' us'd to do;
Each in a tatter'd talisman, 1555
Like vermin in effigy slain.
But, what's more dreadful than the rest,
Those rumps are but the tail o' th' beast,
Set up by popish engineers,
As by the crackers plainly appears; 1560
For none, but Jesuits, have a mission
To preach the faith with ammunition,
And propagate the church with powder;
Their founder was a blown-up soldier.
Those spiritual pioneers o' th' whore's, 1565
That have the charge of all her stores;
1521. Since first they fail'd in their designs,
To take in heav'n by springing mines,
And, with unanswerable barrels
Of gunpowder, dispute their quarrels,
Alluding to the gunpowder-plot, in the reign
of James I. supposed to have been conducted by the jesuits, and for which
Garnet and Oldcorn suffered.
And, with unanswerable barrels
Of gunpowder, dispute their quarrels, 1570
Now take a course more practicable,
By laying trains to fire the rabble,
And blow us up, in th' open streets,
Disguis'd in rumps, like sambenites,*
More like to ruin and confound, 1575
Than all their doctrines underground.
Nor have they chosen rumps amiss,
For symbols of state-mysteries;
Tho' some suppose, 'twas but to shew
How much they scorn'd the saints, the few,
Who, 'cause they 're wasted to the stumps,
Are represented best by rumps.
But Jesuits have deeper reaches
In all their politic far-fetches;
And from the Coptic priest, Kircherus, 1585
Found out this mystic way to jeer us
For, as the Egyptians us'd by bees
T express their ancient Ptolemies,
And by their stings, the swords they wore,
Held forth authority and pow'r; 1590
Because these subtle animals
Bear all their int'rests in their tails;
And when they 're once impair'd in that,
Are banish'd their well-order'd state:
They thought all governments were best 1596
By hieroglyphic rumps exprest.
For, as in bodies natural,
The rump's the fundament of all;
So, in a commonwealth or realm,
The government is called the helm; 1600
With which, like vessels under sail,
They're turn'd and winded by the tail.
-Butler, Samuel, Hudibras; with notes by T.R. Nash,
Vol 2, 1835 (1663-1678).
About Hudibras:
The work is a satirical polemic upon Roundheads, Puritans, Presbyterians and many of the other factions involved in the English Civil War.
The work was begun, according to the title page, during the civil war
and published in three parts in 1663, 1664 and 1678, with the first
edition encompassing all three parts in 1684 (see 1684 in poetry). The Mercurius Aulicus (an early newspaper of the time) reported an unauthorised edition of the first part was already in print in early 1662
Published only four years after Charles II had been restored
to the throne and the Protectorate of Oliver Cromwell being completely
over, the poem found an appreciative audience. The satire is not
balanced as Butler was fiercely royalist and only the parliamentarian
side are singled out for ridicule. Butler also uses the work to parody
some of the dreadful poetry of the time.
The epic tells the story of Sir Hudibras, a knight errant
who is described dramatically and with laudatory praise that is so
thickly applied as to be absurd, and the conceited and arrogant person
is visible beneath. He is praised for his knowledge of logic despite
appearing stupid throughout, but it is his religious fervour which is
mainly attacked:
For his Religion, it was fit
To match his learning and his wit;
'Twas Presbyterian true blue;
For he was of that stubborn crew
Of errant saints, whom all men grant
To be the true Church Militant;
Such as do build their faith upon
The holy text of pike and gun;
Decide all controversies by
Infallible artillery;
And prove their doctrine orthodox
By apostolic blows and knocks;
Call fire and sword and desolation,
A godly thorough reformation,
Which always must be carried on,
And still be doing, never done;
As if religion were intended
For nothing else but to be mended.
His squire,
Ralpho, is of a similar stamp but makes no claim to great learning,
knowing all there is to know from his religion or “new-light”, as he
calls it. Butler satirises the competing factions at the time of the
protectorship by the constant bickering of these two principal
characters whose religious opinions should unite them.
These are fawning but barbed portraits and are thought to represent
personalities of the times but the actual analogues are, now as then,
debatable. "A Key to Hudibras" printed with one of the work's editions
(1709) and ascribed to Roger L'Estrange names Sir Samuel Luke
as the model for Hudibras. Certainly, the mention of Mamaluke in the
poem makes this possible although Butler suggests Hudibras is from the
West Country making Henry Rosewell a candidate. The witchfinder, Matthew
Hopkins, John Desborough, parliamentarian general, and William Prynne,
lawyer, all make appearances, and the character of Sidrophel is
variously seen as either William Lilly or Paul Neale
Plot
The knight and his squire sally forth and come upon some people bear-baiting.
After deciding that this is anti-Christian they attack the baiters and
capture one after defeating the bear. The defeated group of bear-baiters
then rallies and renews the attack, capturing the knight and his
squire. While in the stock the pair argue on religion.
Part two describes how the knight's imprisoned condition is reported by Fame
to a widow Hudibras has been wooing and she comes to see him. With a
captive audience, she complains that he does not really love her and he
ends up promising to flagellate
himself if she frees him. Once free he regrets his promise and debates
with Ralpho how to avoid his fate with Ralpho suggesting that oath
breaking is next to saintliness:
For breaking of an oath, and lying,
Is but a kind of self-denying;
A Saint-like virtue: and from hence
Some have broke oaths by Providence
Some, to the glory of the Lord,
Perjur'd themselves, and broke their word;
Hudibras then tries to convince Ralpho of the nobility of accepting
the beating in his stead but he declines the offer. They are interrupted
by a skimmington,
a procession where women are celebrated and men made fools. After
haranguing the crowd for their lewdness, the knight is pelted with
rotten eggs and chased away.
He decides to visit an astrologer,
Sidrophel, to ask him how he should woo the widow but they get into an
argument and after a fight the knight and squire run off in different
directions believing they have killed Sidrophel.
The third part was published 14 years after the first two and is
considerably different from the first parts. It picks up from where the
second left off with Hudibras going to the widow's house to explain the
details of the whipping he had promised to give himself but Ralpho had
got there first and told her what had actually happened. Suddenly a
group rushes in and gives him a beating and supposing them to be spirits
from Sidrophel, rather than hired by the widow, confesses his sins and
by extension the sins of the Puritans.
Hudibras then visits a lawyer—the profession Butler trained in and one
he is well able to satirise—who convinces him to write a letter to the
widow. The poem ends with their exchange of letters in which the
knight's arguments are rebuffed by the widow.
Before the visit to the lawyer there is a digression of an entire
canto in which much fun is had at the events after Oliver Cromwell's
death. The succession of his son Richard Cromwell and the squabbles of
factions such as the Fifth Monarchists are told with no veil of fiction
and no mention of Sir Hudibras.
.-Wikipedia
1751- Gentleman's Magazine, complaint against throwing
fireworks into crows and window breaking and fence burning by
masked revellers (Hutton
398)
1835-
Cartoon of the Reform Bill
and Henry Brogham. “Guy Vaux Guy Vaux, Guy and his companions did
contrive to
blow up
the king and parliament alive!” Depicts a realistic Guy chaired
with a
mask. Men with sticks, hat on stick. Man in front waves
mask. Guy has
matches
and lantern.
- Source: Bodleian, John Johnson Collection. VADS, Note
however that none of the participants is masked- the mask is taken to
represent Fawkes.
1846- Lewes, Sussex:
"It was with pity and shame I last night beheld the assassin-like and
un-English disguise and mask resorted to among
you (the bonfire boys) to avoid
recognition. What can be more cowardly? Is this the mode off action for the
open-hearted, open-hnanded
manly youth of England?…Throw away the shelter of
the Italian Bravo, and appear in your
true characters as Englishmen, who can never
feel ashamed of being known, when
engaged honestly in a good cause."-M.A. Lower, Observations on the Doings in Lewes on the Evening of
5th
November (Lewes, 1846), p. 9-10.
In the print below from the Illustrated London News of 1853 Cruikshank employs a very well-developed mask concept. Note that the mask is used as a shortcut for the construction of the effigy and not as worn by celebrants.
1862Cruikshank
creates the chaired floppy Fawkes engraving below for Chambers Book of Days. Effigy
has mask. Head falls forward and has a conical hat with ribbons on it. Children
also have masks.
In the engraving above from 1882 depicting celebrations in Exeter we
have a glimpse of one version of the mask tradition. Special
participants around the bonfire taunt the crowd. No one in the crowd has
fancy dress or mask so, perhaps, participants in the drama of
bonfire only needed masks both to add to theatrical effects and perhaps
to obscure identity.
1903- Kensington, London:“The guy, an unusually large one, was mounted
in a small cart drawn by a pony. It was preceeded, first, by a man ringing a
bell, and then by two dancers, wearing costumes resembling that of a clown and
masks ot the common painted kind sold in the shops at this season, who danced
up the street in front of the effigy in the real old style, lifting the arms in
the air alternately, in time to the motion of the feet.(They did not sing or shout.) For musicians
they had a man playing on a shrill long tin whistle or pipe, and another
following the cart beating a drum.A man
in women’s clothes walked beside the cart, occasionally cuting a clumsy caper,
as well s his clinging skirts would allow.The rear of the procession was brought up by the clown, capering and
curveting and shaking his money-box.It
was a poor vulgar show, no doubt, but it retained in its debased state
severalof the principal features of the
old Morris-dance. There were the time honoured figures of the Fool and the
Bessy, accompanying the dancers; the drum and penny whistle represented the
ancient tabor and pipe; while the bell which the Fool formerly wore hung at his
back, was now carried in the van to inform the householders of the passing of
the show(very possibly the original prupose for which the bell was
introduced)”- “Guy Fawkes Day”, Charlotte S. Burne, in: Folk –Lore, Vol.
XXIII. December, 1912, No. IV.p.411-12.
From: Alan Moore – meet the man behind the protest mask
by Tom Lamont
Moore on the origins of the mask design concept in V for Vendetta
But
Moore has been caught off-guard in recent years, and particularly in
2011, by the inescapable presence of a certain mask being worn at
protests around the world. A sallow, smirking likeness of Guy Fawkes –
created by Moore and the artist David Lloyd for their 1982 series V for Vendetta.
It has a confused lineage, this mask: the plastic replica that
thousands of demonstrators have been wearing is actually a bit of tie-in merchandise from the film version of V for Vendetta,
a Joel Silver production made (quite badly) in 2006......
It
all comes back to Moore.....
"… It's peculiar. It feels like a
character I created 30 years ago has somehow escaped the realm of
fiction.".....
....."That
smile is so haunting," says Moore. "I tried to use the cryptic nature of
it to dramatic effect." We could show a picture of the character just
standing there, silently, with an expression that could have been
pleasant, breezy or more sinister." .....
....."Moore first noticed the masks being worn by members of the Anonymous group, "bothering Scientologists
halfway down Tottenham Court Road" in 2008."
But
with the mask's growing popularity, Moore has come to see its appeal as
about something more than identity-shielding. "It turns protests into
performances. The mask is very operatic; it creates a sense of romance
and drama. I mean, protesting, protest
marches, they can be very demanding, very gruelling. They can be quite
dismal. They're things that have to be done, but that doesn't
necessarily mean that they're tremendously enjoyable – whereas actually,
they should be."
At one point in V for Vendetta, V
lectures Evey about the importance of melodrama in a resistance effort.
Says Moore: "I think it's appropriate that this generation of protesters
have made their rebellion into something the public at large can engage
with more readily than with half-hearted chants, with that traditional,
downtrodden sort of British protest. These people look like they're having a good time. And that sends out a tremendous message.".....
...."He
sees parallels between the dystopia predicted in the story and the
world today. The book foretold the prevalence of CCTV cameras on city
streets, for instance; and Moore takes a particular satisfaction in a
strand of the plot that seemed to anticipate the sort of internet-based
dissent that has made groups such as Anonymous and Assange's WikiLeaks
such major agents of protest. "The reason V's fictional crusade against
the state is ultimately successful is that the state, in V for Vendetta,
relies upon a centralised computer network which he has been able to
hack. Not an obvious idea in 1981, but it struck me as the sort of thing
that might be down the line." Moore is not computer-literate. "This was
just something I made up because I thought it would make an interesting
adventure story. Thirty years go by and you find yourself living it."
He
is careful to point out that "I have no particular connection or claim
to what [the protesters] are doing, nor am I suggesting that these
people are fans of mine, or of V for Vendetta." Ultimately, use
of the mask may be down to the simple fact that "it's cool-looking. I'm
not trying to make a proprietorial statement."
He is also aware
of how badly things can go wrong when a fiction of his spreads too far
from source. Last year, an unhinged man in Florida went on a shooting
spree in a school, spray-painting a "V" symbol on the wall (matching a
symbol that appears in the comic and film incarnations of V for Vendetta) before killing himself. "A horrible, pointless episode," says Moore. "So there's always... Now I didn't feel responsible, but..." He does not finish the thought, but trusts the V mask
will remain an essentially peaceful tool of protest. "At the moment,
the demonstrators seem to me to be making clearly moral moves,
protesting against the ridiculous state that our banks and corporations
and political leaders have brought us to."
David Lloyd, V forVendetta's co-creator, has admitted going along to a demo
in New York to see the masks in use. The extent of Moore's own activism
has been "a good moan in the local pub"; he does not see himself
donning a mask ("Be a bit weird, wouldn't it?"). But his sympathies are
with the protesters, and there is a clear sense of pride for him that so
many people – if not "the 99%" then a great, unignorable bloc – have
caused such a stir. "It would be probably be better if the authorities
accepted this is a new situation, that this is history happening.
History is a thing that happens in waves. Generally it is best to go
with these waves, not try to make them turn back – the Canute option.
I'm hoping that the world's leaders will realise this."
Back in the early 80s, approaching the end of Vendetta's
epic 38-part cycle, Moore was struggling to think of another "V" word
with which to title a closing chapter. He'd already used Victims,
Vaudeville and Vengeance; the Villain, the Voice, the Vanishing; even
Vicissitude and Verwirrung (the German word for confusion). "I was getting pretty desperate," he says.
He eventually settled on Vox populi. "Voice of the people. And I think that if the mask stands for anything, in the current context, that is what it stands for. This is the people. That mysterious entity that is evoked so often – this is the people."
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