|
Guy
Fawkes The Most Famous Plotter
Guy Fawkes: Also known as John Johnson, or as
Guido Fawkes (this shows up in a possibly translated engraving text. By the
way the word "guy" pre-dates Fawkes in its origins it comes from
French:Guy,then from Gui then from Late Latin-Uitus and then from Middle
Latin: Vitus as in the repulsive saint of epileptics)a.k.a. Percy's man. 34
years old. Son of Edward Fawkes, proctor and advocate in the consistory
court of York, Guido was born in the Stonegate district of York. Baptized at
St. Michael-le-Belfry in 1570, Fawkes entered St. Peter's School in 1578. He
had two younger sisters Elizabeth and Anne. His schoolmates included John
and Christopher Wright. His father died in 1579. His mother Edith remarried
into the Catholic Bainbridge family of Scotton. It is thought that his
stepfather influenced him to become a Catholic. Perhaps he was influenced by
the headmaster of St. Peters, John Pullen, a man later named as a suspected
Jesuit. By the time he was 21 Guy had sold his inheritance and had joined
the Catholic forces fighting in the Low Countries. For twelve years he
served as a military man in the Netherlands. He was trained as a miner,
skilled with gunpowder and in the arts of tunneling. He was at the siege of
Calais. In 1603 Fawkes went to Spain to discuss the plight of English
Catholics with King Philip II. There he met Christopher Wright with whom he
tried to get Spanish support for an invasion of England. He arrives in
England with Thomas Winter on April 25,1604 and in May 1604 he joined the
plot at a meeting with Catesby at an inn: The Duck and Drake. Fawkes was
captured at around midnight Nov.4 and was brought before the privy council
on Nov.5. On November 7, after several sessions of torture, Fawkes admitted
that the conspirators had planned to free Sir Walter Raleigh and other Tower
Prisoners. Fawkes then said, " yt was past,and he is nowe sorry fo yt, for
that he nowe perceyveth that God did not concur with yet." Fawkes did not
reveal the identity of the other conspirators until severely tortured on
Nov.9 but only after he was told that some had been arrested. He was
executed on January 31, 1606. To this day Guy is remembered for his bravery
on November 5. Young children make scarecrows of Guy Fawkes which they
exhibit while collecting money, "a penny for the Guy", to be spent on their
fireworks.
To return to the top click here
Robert Catesby
Robert Catesby: 31 years old.
Robert Catesby came from an old midlands family. His ancestors had been
famous as politicians. Due to his father's strong Catholic loyalties the
family suffered greatly. Robert was born in 1573 and it seems conformed
to the state religion. He studied at Gloucester Hall, Oxford in 1586 and
married Catherine Leigh-a wealthy Protestant girl (a protestant related
to the important Spenser family) when he was nineteen (1593). His wife
Catherine Leigh and their oldest son (William) died a few years after
their marriage in 1598. His Second son Robert survived. Catesby's house
Morecrofts in Uxbridge became a haven for priests. His father also died
in 1598. It is believed that his grief turned him into a stronger
supporter of the Catholic faith. Catesby already suspect by the
government was imprisoned in 1596 as a possible suspect in action
leading to the illness of the queen. Involvement in the Essex rebellion
(Feb. 8 1601) cost him a fine of 3,000 pounds. Later Catesby joined
other Catholics such as Henry Garnet in the Spanish Treason. Catesby
possessed a wild and reckless nature and was a popular man. He was known
as a good swordsman and was a part of elite court circles. Father
Tesimond described him as being over six feet tall with noble and
expressive countenance and manners and with an impressive dignity. He
traveled the countryside as did many Catholics protecting priests as
they traveled from safe house to safe house. Catesby's house in Lambeth
was first headquarters of the plot and was used for the initial storage
of powder. He was the originator of plot. His mother's 1st cousin
(Elizabeth) was
wife of Sir Walter Raleigh. Robert Catesby was killed at the shoot out
at Holbeach House Nov. 8 1605 along with Thomas Percy (with the same
bullet) While professing dedication to God and Church to the end Catesby
was primarily a leader of a Catholic political elite which was equally
dedicated to obtaining wealth and power through the defeat of the King,
the Government and the State Church. (His body was buried at Holbeach
but was later dug up and his head brought to Westminster for display)
To return to the top click here |
Thomas Percy
| Thomas Percy: 44 years old. He
received James I's promise of toleration-later to be broken. He was a
Catholic with court contacts through his cousin, the Earl of
Northumberland. Northumberland used Thomas Percy as a messenger to
assist James I in his communications with the court in London prior to
the death of Elizabeth I. He was described as: "a tall gent". Thomas
Percy attended Peterhouse, Cambridge from 1579 and may have gone to the
Azores with George Clifford in 1589. From 1595 he served as estate
officer for Northumberland. A fervent Catholic Percy hated Scots and all
things Scottish. He was experienced in violent political actions in and
around the wild border areas of the Western March. Percy was married to
John(Jack) and Christopher (Kit) Wright's sister. Because of his court
contacts, it is he that rents house for tunnel. To return to the top
click here |
John Wright
John (Jack) Wright: 37 years old. The Wrights were
the Wrights of Plowland Hall in Holderness,Yorkshire (son of Robert Wright
and Ursula Rudston). The Wrights were staunch Catholics who suffered the
full force of the law for their illegal activities. John took part in the
Essex rebellion of 1601 along with his friend Robert Catesby. John spent
time in solitary confinement for this offense. After the plot and prison
John moved the family to northern Lincolnshire (Twigmore Hall) an area which
was known as a haven for priests. Camden described the Wrights as
hunger-starved for innovation. Fr. John Gerard described John as being a
"strong stout man...of very good wit...slow of speech". John Wright was an
excellent swordsman, a taciturn man loyal to his close friends. His
conversion to Catholicism was said to have calmed his quarreling nature. As
yet another Catholic and a distant cousin of Catesby, he went to school with
Guy Fawkes in York. His mother died in prison for religious belief. John and
his wife Dorothy suffered greatly for their illegal acts related to their
Catholic religious practices. John was the third to enter the plot around
May 1604. Along with Thomas Wintour he introduced Guy Fawkes to the plot.
John Wright left London on November 4 to join Everard Digby and the hunting
party at Dunchurch, Warwickshire. He reached Holbeach House on the evening
of Nov. 7. John was mortally wounded during the Holbeach shoot out. His head
was taken for display to Westminster as was the custom for criminals.
To return to the top click here
Christopher Wright
Christopher (Kit) Wright: He was the brother of
John ( Jack) Wright.(his wife was Margaret Ward a relative of Thomas Ward
who conveyed news of the discovery of the letter to the plotters) A
reluctant conformist and Catholic, he went into the plot to help his
brothers some time after Christmas 1605 and before March 25,(recruited to
help with the tunnel) and was a schoolmate of Fawkes, Tesimond, Oldcorne and
Robert Middleton at St. Peter's school in York. Christopher Wright took part
in the failed Essex rebellion in 1601 and was not punished severely for this
action. He was a convert to Catholicism and a zealot. This quality possible
brought him to the attention of father Garnet who assisted him in meeting
with Phillip III in order to arrange for a full blown military action in
support of the English Counter reformation against the English State-he was
fortunately unsuccessful. His main ability was that of maintaining secrecy.
Christopher Wright has been suggested as a possible source for the famous
letter. He was killed in the shoot out at Holbeach where he had fled with
Thomas Percy.
To return to the top click here
- Robert Winter was born in 1565 or 1657 and died on January 30, 1606.
Robert was the oldest son of George Wintour whose house was Huddington
Cour. His mother was Jane Ingleby. Robert had interited most of his
fathers estate. The estate was supported by salt evaporating and hops
farming. Through his first wife Gertrude Talbot Robert built ties to a
very strong catholic family. Robert used his house as a refuge for
priests. Robert was described by Gerard as one of the smartest and
strongest and wealthiest men in Worcestershire. The warrant for his
arrest described him as meane stature, rather low, square made somewhat
stooping forty years old with brown beard and hair. Robert came into the
plot because of his money and influence. He gave money to the plotters and
helped to gather weapons and horses for the planned uprising. Robert was
reluctant to join the plot but joined with John Grant when they met at the
Catherine Wheel inn, Oxford in February of 1605. He remained a less
than enthusiastic member. He wanted to turn back during the march from
Dunchurch to Holbeach House. He refused to ask John Talbot of Grafton to
help with the plot. Robert escaped Holbeach House with Stephen
Littleton on November 7 and managed to escape arrest for two months. They
were betrayed and captured at Hagley Park, home of Humphrey Littleton on
the 9th of January. . Robert along with Stephen Littleton were stent
to the Tower. While at the tower Robert admitted that the fleeing
conspirators had made confessions to Father Hammond a.k.a. Father Hart who
was a the Jesuit Chaplain of Huddington Court. He was executed January 30,
1606, St. Paul's Churchyard. He did not say much on the scaffold but
prayed to himself.
To return to the top click here
Thomas Bates
Thomas Bates:(A.K.A. Thomas
Bate) As Robert Catesby's servant, he was ranked as a yeoman. His evidence
was used to falsely implicate the Jesuits. Part of this evidence
came after the death of Father Garnet and the rest is confused. It is said
that Bates implicated Father Garnet, Father Tesimond and Father Gerard as
knowing of the plot as early as mid-November when they learned of it at
a meeting at Harrowden. This evidence is denied by Gerard. Bate's main
role in the plot was as a runner and messenger who due to his low rank
would go unnoticed-due to his lower rank. It was Bates who took the letter
from Digby and Catesby to Garnet which after the failure of the plot broke
the seal of the confessional. Bates abandoned the plot following the explosion
of gunpowder at Holbeache House. He was Captured on Nov. 12 in Staffordshire.
At his execution Bates claimed that it was his loyalty to his master which
kept him from obeying God, his Country and the King. Bates was survived
by his wife Martha who managed to beet up with him as he was being dragged
off to his execution on Jan. 30, 1606.
To return to the top click here |
