Perhaps It’s “Catesby’s Night”

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31209, 5 November 1966, Page 12

Perhaps It’s “Catesby’s Night”

(Specially written for "The Press" by MAUREEN B AMPING) QUNPOWDER Plot and Guy Fawkes —they go together like bacon and eggs. And yet, if the plot had been discovered at any other stage of its development, things might have been very diffirent. For instance, if all the men involved had been caught at the same time, or even if a few of the others had been caught with Guy Fawkes when he was discovered, he would probably have been regarded as just one of the minor conspirators. But as it was, when the discovery was made in the vaults, there were only Guy Fawkes, 36 barrels of gunpowder and some bundles of firewood.

Asked his name, Guy Fawkes said he was John Johnson—Sir Thomas Percy’s servant. He was looking after Sir Thomas’s house, and seeing to his fuel supplies. It was soon established that Sir Thomas Percy had, in fact, rented the premises adjacent to the cellar. At that time it was not unusual to rent rooms in

Parliament buildings—and Guy Fawkes’ story of being Sir Thomas Percy’s servant was accepted. After all, he obviously was not a gentleman in the sense of the word in 1605. They were used to being able to tell a man’s occupation and social status by his clothes and, as Fawkes was dressed like a servant, how were they to know the difference? Inspiring Leader Because Sir Thomas Percy had rented the premises, it was assumed, at first, that he was the ringleader of the plot. If the inquiries had stopped there, instead of singing jingles about “Guy, Guy, stick him up high,” we might well have been singing something like, “Percy, Percy, he. showed no mercy.” Or, “Sir Thomas Percy hated King James, tried to burn him in the flames.” The “ifs” of history are fascinating. But inquiries did not stop there, and as they continued it was discovered that the so-called servant, John Johnson, was really a Yorkshire soldier, chosen by the real leader of the plot because of his experience with explosives. Who, then, was the real

leader? It was Robert Catesby —young, handsome, and over 6 foot. He was fond of good clothes, was a fine swordsman, and the kind of leader who inspired unswerving devotion in his followers.

He was also impetuous, more renowned for his vigorous exploits than his diplomacy. And there again, if Catesby had been arrested while helping to place the gunpowder in position, perhaps we should be singing rhymes on “Catesby’s Night” about “Robert Catesby and his Plot, tried to kill Parliament, King, the lot.” But, although he was finally acknowledged as the leader, the dramatic discovery of Guy Fawkes seemed to capture the public imagination as they pictured his calm figure with lantern, watch and fuse, keeping a solitary vigil in the vault; and it was Guy Fawkes whose name was chiefly associated with the plot even then.

After Guy Fawkes’ capture, Robert Catesby and Sir Thomas Percy made their way to Holbeach House in the Midlands. The original plan had been to raise a rebellion there to back up the events in London, but to their dismay no-one came forward to join them at the crucial 1 moment.

When the Sheriff of Worcestershire and his men reached Holbeach House on November 8, they found the conspirators prepared to admit the failure of the plot, but unwilling to give themselves up without a fight. Ironically, in the attack that followed their refusal to “yield and submit themselves,” Percy, the man who was first suspected of being the leader, and Catesby, the man who actually was the leader, were fighting back to back, swords in hand, when they were both killed by the same bullet. For his skilful marksmanship, the soldier who fired the shot was paid a pension of 2s a day. And so it all ended ignominiously, with Guy Fawkes tortured and then hanged, and Catesby and Percy dead. And the plot that failed is commemorated every year on November 5. That introduces one more "if.” If Parliament had not changed the date of its opening that year, because of fears of the plague being brought into London from the countryside, Bonfire Night would not have been on November 5 at all—it would have been on October 3.