taken little action to pursue the matter further at that time—around six months before the plot was uncovered.
By 26 October 1605, everything was ready. The gunpowder had been brought in and installed in a cellar the plotters had leased, which was placed handily under the main House of Lords chamber. On this night, however, Lord Monteagle, a Catholic MP, who had not been known to be “at home” during any previous evening during 1605, just happened to be around to receive an anonymous letter warning him to avoid the opening of Parliament on 5 November. He took the letter straight to Robert Cecil. Six days elapsed before the Monteagle letter was shown to the king and the search of Westminster was not ordered until the night of 4 November, nine days later. On Fawkes’s capture, he was tortured to make him reveal the names of his co-conspirators. Days later, a confession was finally extracted, though Fawkes’s signature on the document bore little resemblance to his usual one (presumably in consequence of the torture). Fawkes’s statement read:
I confese, that a practise in generall was first broken unto me, against his Majestir for reliefe of the Catholic cause, and not invented or propounded by my selfe. And this was first propounded unto mee about Easter Last was twelve moneth beyond the seas, in the Lowe Countries of the
This being resolved amongst us,
The five that first enterd into the worke were
When we came to the very foundation of the Wall of the House, which was about three yards thicke, and found it a matter of great difficultie, wee tooke unto us another Gentleman
It was about Christmas when we brought our myne unto the Wall, and about Candlemas we had wrought the wall halfe through: and whilst they were working, I stood as Sentinell to descrie any man that came neere, whereof I gave them warning, and so they ceased until I gave notice again to proceede.
All we seven lay in the House, and had Shot and Powder, being resolved to die in that place before we should yield or be taken. As they were working upon the wall they heard a rushing in the Cellar of removing of Coales, whereupon we feared we had been discovered: and they sent me to go to the Cellar, who finding that the Coales were a-selling and the Cellar was to bee let, viewing the commoditie thereof for our purpose,
We had before this provided and brought into the House twentie Barrels of Powder, which we removed into the Cellar, and covered the same with Billets and Faggots, which were provided for that purpose.
About Easter, the Parliament being prorogued till October next, we dispersed ourselves and I retired into the Low countreys by advice and direction of the rest, as well to aquaint
In the meantime
It was a further resolve amongst us that the same day that this act should have been performed, some other of our Confederates should have surprised the person of Lady Elizabeth the King’s eldest daughter, who was kept in Warwickshire at Lo.[rd]
Concerning Duke Charles, the King’s second sonne, wee had sundry consultations how to seise on his Person. But because we found no means how to compasse it (the Duke being kept neere London, where we had not Forces y-nough) we resolved to serve our turn with Lady Elizabeth. THE NAMES OF OTHER PRINCIPALL
Persons, that were made privy
Afterwards to this horrible
Conspiracie
Catesby and his followers were tracked to Holbeche House, Staffordshire, where he and several others died in the ensuing gun battle. The rest were captured and committed for trial.
Except, that is, for one Francis Tresham. He alone out of all the plotters was spared the horror of being hung, drawn and quartered, which seems odd considering that anyone else who had anything remotely to do with the plot was summarily executed. Perhaps his immunity from that horrible fate can be explained by his association with Cecil. It was assumed that Tresham was the author of that anonymous letter to his friend Monteagle, though some claim it was Cecil himself. In any event, Monteagle’s loyalty to the crown had already been bought by the king’s previous leniency.
In 1601 the Earl of Essex, Robert Devereux, had marched on the city of London to highlight abuses he felt had been perpetrated by the Privy Council in general and Robert Cecil in particular. Devereux was arrested along with his supporters Robert Catesby, Lord Monteagle and Francis Tresham.
Those who believe Cecil was behind the whole Gunpowder Plot claim that, at this point, Tresham and even Catesby himself became double-agents for Cecil in return for being spared execution. Certainly, having one or more men on the inside of the conspiracy would have explained why Cecil had been in no rush to uncover the plot. It would also explain how he could have masterminded events to further his own ends, giving the green light to further persecution of Catholics—whom he despised for their allegiance to another ruler (i.e. the Pope)—and to the lucrative confiscation of monastic lands.
In the end, it is Cecil’s own character as a ruthlessly ambitious and efficient man which scuppers this theory of a conspiracy within a conspiracy. The benefits do not seem radical enough by half to have been worth his effort. In the end, a handful of political bit players were executed, the Jesuits were expelled from England and had their lands taken, and the general Catholic populace was forced to keep its head down for the next two hundred years. However, prominent Catholic aristocrats remained influential members of the king’s inner circle and England soon signed a lasting peace treaty with Catholic Spain. Perhaps, in the end, Cecil appreciated how far the boat could be rocked but knew not to push it any further.
Francis Edwards,
Antonia Fraser,
Martin Stephens,
HAARP
Near Gakona, Alaska, is the 33-acre (12ha) site which houses America’s High Frequency Active Auroral
