The History of Bonfire Night

By Susan Pheasey

Every year on 5th November children and adults in Great Britain get very excited because it is Bonfire Night. Some people call it Guy Fawkes Night.

Bonfire Night

People celebrate by making a guy, which is a bit like a scarecrow. They place the guy on the top of a big bonfire, they light the bonfire and set off fireworks.

Making a Guy

Catholics and Protestents

The reason Bonfire Night is celebrated is because over 400 years ago there were laws to prevent Catholic people from celebrating their religion.

When King James 1, who was a protestant, came to the throne the Catholic people thought that he would scrap these laws, but he didn’t. In fact, he made even more laws against the Catholics.

A group of Catholic men led by Robert Catesby decided they would no longer put up with these laws and plotted to kill the King. We call it the Gunpowder Plot.

Searching the Palace of Westminster

The plotters bought a house next door to the Palace of Westminster, which is the meeting place of the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Together these are known as the Houses of Parliament. The house that the plotters bought had a cellar that went under the House of Lords. The House of Lords is the place where the Lords and King would meet to agree the laws.

The plotters put 36 barrels of gunpowder in the cellar with the intention of blowing up the Lords and the King. This is the Houses of Parliament

with the House of Lords highlighted in red

Why We Celebrate Bonfire NightThey knew the King would be visiting the Houses of Parliament on 5th November 1605 for a special ceremony called the ‘State Opening of Parliament’. This is a ceremony where the King or Queen meets members of parliament to pass new laws.

Guy Fawkes was given the job of keeping watch over the barrels of gunpowder and to light the fuse.

Someone reported them before they managed to blow it up and the Palace of Westminster was searched. Guy Fawkes was found in the cellar below the House of Lords with the 36 barrels of gunpowder.

Guy Fawkes (13 April 1570 – 31 January

1606

Guy Fawkes Confession

Guy Fawkes was arrested and taken to the Tower of London.

At first, he would not say why he was in the cellar but eventually he confessed.

This is part of one of the confessions made by Guy Fawkes

Observance of 5th November Act

People all around London were really pleased that the Houses of Parliament had not been blown up and their King had not been killed.

A few months later the Parliament introduced the ‘Observance of 5th November Act’, which gave people a public day of thanksgiving for the plot's failure.

To celebrate, people lit great bonfires on the night of 5th November.

Scenes at Windsor Castle 1776

Violent MeetingsOver the years, this caused lots of problems because people used it as an excuse to burn effigies of people they did not like. An effigy is a model of a person that is made to be damaged or destroyed.

Some people who did not agree with the Catholic religion made effigies of the Pope (the leader of the Catholic Church) and would have violent meetings, where they would fight in the streets.

Celebrating Peacefully

Over 250 years later in 1856 the 'Act' was repealed (stopped) and eventually people began to celebrate Guy Fawkes Day in a peaceful way.

Most people go to an organised event where they gather around a very large bonfire.

Nowadays people celebrate by lighting bonfires just like they did 400 years ago.

Nowadays

Firework Display

And watch extravagant firework displays…

Sparklers

and light sparklers.

Food Eaten on Bonfire Night

People also celebrate by eating nice food such as baked potatoes, toffee apples, Parkin cake and treacle toffee.

Treacle Toffee

Parkin Cake

Toffee AppleBaked Potato

We say a special rhyme to help us remember the 5th of November:

Remember, remember the fifth of November, The Gunpowder Treason and Plot.I know of no reason, Why Gunpowder Treason, Should ever be forgot.

A Rhyme to Remember

Stay Safe

Stay safe on Bonfire Night:

•Wear a coat or jacket•Wear a hat•Wear gloves•Wear sensible shoes

This Firework Code was produced by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Fireworks Code

• Keep fireworks in a closed box • Follow the instructions on each firework • Light all fireworks at arms length • Stand well back • Never go back to a firework that has been lit. Even if it hasn’t gone

off, it could still explode. • Never put fireworks in your pocket • Never throw fireworks• Never Give sparklers to a child under five• Light sparklers one at a time and wear gloves• Keep Pets indoors