Guy Fawkes night: Explained
November is finally here; days are filled with nose sniffles, crispy leaves, dark afternoons and nights abounding with marshmallow-hot chocolates, fluffy socks, and getting snug around the fireplace. It is also the month of Guy Fawkes night – the celebration by which we remember the failure of the gunpowder plot in Parliament.
Don't remember the story? Let's refresh your memory on what happened and how you can celebrate it from home!
On November 5th, 1605, a group of roman catholic revolutionaries – including a man named Guy Fawkes gathered at the Duck and Drake inn in London for a secret meet-up. There, they devised a plan to blow up the house of Parliament with gunpowder. More specifically, the new protestant king of England, James I – so that the Catholics could regain control.
An oath finalised this scheme that they swore in secrecy on the bible, and then, the group put 36 barrels of gunpowder into a cellar under the House of Lords…
The plan, however, came to a halt when one of the extremists in Fawkes' group composed a letter to his friend, Lord Monteagle (a member of Parliament), warning him to stay away from the building in sight of the attack.
Doing his duty towards the king and with a great urge to protect the people, Lord Monteagle alerted the guards immediately of these activities. Guy Fawkes was found guilty and brought to the Tower of London, where he was questioned and tortured for giving up the names of his friends and co-conspirators for two days straight. He was later hung, drawn, and quartered along with his associates.
We celebrate this day with large fireworks displays in our homes, gathering around bonfires or simply igniting a flame to remember the story. Want to get involved? Head over to our website and check our range of outdoor fire pits so you can celebrate the monarchy's survival in style.
Our best seller this month is the Morso Ignis Fire Pit. Not only is it great for outdoor grilling and open-fire cooking (not to mention roasting marshmallows), but its circular shape and stenotherm-painted cast iron body make it the ultimate outdoor feature for your garden this coming winter.
For a large selection of garden fire pits and accessories, browse our collection online or have a conversation with one of our advisors (sales@stovesupermarket.co.uk / 01226816 051)
- Chris Murphy