TRUE MEANING....

GUY FAWKES

Here in New Zealand even though it's not a holiday we do celebrate the 5th of November, Guy Fawkes Night. Guy Fawkes Night can also be known as Guy Fawkes Day or Bonfire Night. Guy Fawkes was born in England in 1570, he was baptisd at the church of St Michael le Belfrey. He was the oldest of 3 living chrildren and the only boy born to Edward and Edith Fawkes. Edward Fawkes was a proctor and an advocate of the consistory court at York. Guys parents and paternal grandparents were regular communicants at the Church of England. His maternal grandparents were recusant Catholics, and after his father died and his mother remarried, Guy did recieve a Catholic education.

In 1951 Guy Fawkes sold his estate that was left to him by his father, and travelled to the continent to fight in the Eighty Year War for catholic Spain against the new Dutch Republic. This was one of many wars he fought in for catholic Spain. He even changed his name from Guy to the Italan version Guido Fawkes. In one memorandum he described James 1 as 'a heretic' who intended ' to have all the Papist sect driven out of England' It was in 1604 the he became involved with a small group of Enlglish Catholics, who planned to assassinate King James a Protestant and replace him with his daughter, Princess Elizabeth who was 3rd in line for the throne. Guy was described as being pleasant and having a cheerful manner and very loyal to his friends, and highly skilled in matters of war.

Five men got together and decided to kill the King and his government by blowing up Parliment House with gunpoweder, after the decision was made they went about trying to recruit help. Fawkes who had been out of England for many years was introduced to the ring leader of this group of men. One of the conspirators managed to gain access to the house of the Keeper of the King's Wardrove, Fawkes then became the caretake of that house and started using the pseudonym John Johnson a servent. The conspirators tried to dig a tunnel from beneath the house to Parliment and though no evidence of this was presented, Fawkes did admit to this scheme at his fifth interrogation but couldn't locate the tunnel. December 1604 had the men digging a tunnel from the house they had rented to the House of Lords. They stopped tunnelling when they heard a noise from above, this lead them to leasing a room directly beneath the House of Lords. They stored 20 barrels of gunpowder in this room then added another 16 more on 20th of July, 28th of July saw the ever-present threat of the plague and this delayed the opening of Parliment until Tuesday, 5th of November.

Fawkes was the man left to light the fuse, he waited in that basement room from early the 4th of November, but was caught and arrested by the King's men before he could light the fuse. A letter sent to a member or parliment that was a Catholic was shown to the King who immediatly sent his men to check all basement room under the House of Lords. Under questioning Fawkes admited to the plot of blowing up the House of Lords, and expressed regret at failing, it was his steadfast manner upon questioning that earned him the admiration of the King, however this didn't help him and he was still tortured for the names of the other men in the plot with him. Fawkes was meant to of been hanged, drawn and quarted, however when trying to escape he jumped from the gallows breaking his neck in the fall, they did still quarter his body and distributed it to the four corners of the kingdom as a warning to other traitors. On the 5th of November the people of London were encouraged to light bonfires to celebrate the King's escape from assassination, and an Act of Parliament ruled that every 5th of November should be a day of thanksgiving for the 'joyful deliverance',

And there is the true meaning of Guy Fawkes Night, some have said we are celebrating a terroist attack, when the true meaning prooves that it was originally a celebration for the King's escape. I'm not entirely sure if people actually know why we celebrate on the 5th of November, now it is just an excuse for us to waste our money buying fire crackers. Another day that has become commercialised and this is a day of danger as well. I for one will not be wasting money on a bunch of crackers that will be lit and shower a few pretty colours in the sky and a whole heap of smoke. After researching this article I am now of the opinion that this whole day is out of date, and should of died off when King James 1 did. For those of you who do celebrate Guy Fawkes Night, remember what you are celebrating, and keep safe.