"Of Bonfires and Effigy Burning"

Today is November 5th, and for us Brits this marks a special event that occurred this very night in 1605.

"The Gunpowder Plot" was an attempt by desperate Catholics to blow up the English Parliament along with the ruling monarch, King James I who had reneged on a promise to put an end to the persecution of Catholics. 

One of the Conspirators, Thomas Percy, hired a cellar under Parliament and filled it with 36 barrels of gunpowder and plenty of wood and iron bars, enough to seal the fate of all seated above.  The event was planned for the 5th November when the King would be in attendance and cause maximum effect.

Unfortunately for the conspirators, one of their members sent a warning letter to his brother -in-law urging him not to attend Parliament on the 5th. Given that spying was widespread and messages were intercepted on a scale that even the NSA would be proud of , the game was up for the plotters. A search of the building revealed the explosives and on November 4th Guy Fawkes was arrested as he entered the cellar. The remaining conspirators were either murdered , imprisoned or executed shortly after.

November 5th was designated by King James I (via an Act of Parliament) as a day of thanksgiving for "the joyful day of deliverance." 

Guy Fawkes Night is not solely a British celebration. The tradition was also established in the British colonies by the early American settlers and actively pursued in the New England States under the name of "Pope Day" as late as the Eighteenth Century.

Although no longer a public holiday "Bonfire night" or "firework night" is still celebrated every year with the lighting of fires and burning of effigies of Guy fawkes, accompanied by much drinking of mulled wine and firework displays (probably not the safest combination!).

The biggest event takes place in the town of Lewes (known as the bonfire capital of the world) , not far from where I live. Here they celebrate the failure of the Gunpowder plot and commemorate the memory of the seventeen Protestant martyrs from the town burnt at the stake for their faith during the Marian Persecutions.

 There are six bonfire societies putting on five separate parades and firework displays on the 5th, and this can mean 3,000 people taking part in the celebrations, and up to 80,000 spectators attending. Each society marches to its own fire site on the edge of the town, where there is a large bonfire, firework display and burning of effigies.  Photo link

This year I will be celebrating from the warmth of my fireside and watching the fireworks from neighbour's gardens as I raise a toast to "poor olde Guy"  :)

Today beside the fire

Today as we mused beside the fire I learned about Jethro Tull. I thought it was just a clever band name, but thanks to Wikipedia, I now know that he was a real person in the 18th Century. Tull was someone who believed that scientific ideas could be applied to agriculture and so developed new tools which helped start the British Agricultural Revolution. Tull had been born into a family where he had the advantage of a good education, and travel, he was influenced by the ideas of the Age of Enlightenment.  If you have not ever thought too much about how ideas travel through society, he might be a good one for you to look into.  The British Agricultural Revolution is a juicy topic being where crops from the "new" world like potatoes, the Scientific Revolution, and Britain's transformation into a powerful nation all come together in complex and interesting ways.

As our conversation naturally moved on, we discussed the experience of reading a beautifully written novel. I usually read for the story and am forgiving of weak writing if the story grips me.  But sometimes I have stumbled across writing so eloquent, so concise, or so clever that I suddenly realize that my experience is even more rich.  To that end, I was recommended a novel, The English Patient, by Michael Ondaatje, so I am going to give it a try. My usual genre is Science Fiction, or Mysteries, so I recommend The Death Gate Cycle by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman; and The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King.

That's all for now, back to the fire. :)