Your lurid descriptions of how Bonfire night is celebrated in modernity and the facial expressions that went with them are worth the price of admission. I was aware of the history, but not aware of how it's celebrated now, so that was a treat.
Hammond from Top Gear/The Grand Tour, hosted a documentary where they built a replica of Westminster at the time, filled it with mannequins of all the nobles and people who'd have been there, then filled their basement with the same amount of gun powder (made to that time periods specifications), and blew it up. Their goal was to see just how destructive it could have been if the conspirators had actually done it. The explosion was spectacular! It's a pretty fun watch if you're interested.
In New Zealand, we let off fireworks on the 5th Nov , we don't call it Bonfire Night or burn effigies but it is known here as Guy Fawkes , I don't believe many Kiwis actually know the history behind why we do this , funny thing is November is Spring Time in New Zealand , all the kids have to wait until around 9:30 at night to see anything because we have Daylight saving beginning in October here. As usual another entertaining video with appropriate facial expressions from the talented Dr Kat
I am Brazilian and live in England since 2007. The gunfire plot always got my interest and I knew it was against the king but wasn’t aware it was due to religion… thank you Dr Kat for your videos and this one in particular. It is very interesting and you are extremely knowledgeable!
As an American hearing you state you come from a completely normal country made me laugh. Looking at the Southern US including my home in Tennessee and thinking hell we don't even try to hide our crazy anymore. If we ever did in the first place. I'd love to hear more about King James I and his changing views on "witches". Thanks for your hard work and highly entertaining content.
I live in a province in Canada 🇨🇦, Alberta, I'll name it, that is being called the Texas of the North with how our Priemer is handling the plague. It is truly embarrassing. 🤗 We do have alot of oil, and know as having some of the best beef in the world. So the reference has been a long one but, how he's handling things is so bad!!! The military had to send us nurses cuz how bad our hospitals got. 🥺🤨🥺 I feel ya.
@@theguest4516 Big hugs. I feel you deeply on the pandemic issues that just added to the crazy. Take heart my Canadian friend. Election season is coming. With any luck and more than a few (What do they call it? Ah yes! Liberal) liberal individuals, things will get better for y'all. I hope the same for all of us.
My ex-husband's stepfather was in the US Navy and was stationed in Wales while my ex was a child. He attended the local British school system there. He has told me stories of going around asking for pennies for the Guy.
Strange that England sets off fireworks for saving the King, while we in America set off fireworks on the 4th of July for declaring independence from the King.
Dr. Kat, if you ever had the time or inclination, I would so love and appreciate it if you could curate a reading list of some of the topics you have covered. I so enjoy your videos and would love to delve further into some of them, but sometimes have difficulty ferreting out which books are accurate and/or helpful. A guided or recommended reading list from you would be amazing. Perhaps the community could vote on particular lists we would most like? Maybe one day you also might consider proctoring a monthly or bimonthly reading club? I'm sure you're frightfully busy, but I do hope you might consider it. Thank you so very much for all of the amazing content you have produced for us. You've reignited in me a love of history I thought I'd misplaced after university.
Yes real life is more fascinating gory and exciting than anything written for fiction/live action. We humans are a crazy bunch. When I read or watch historical programs i often am often left speechless and think What the hell were you thinking? Especially when those pesky Tudors are involved.😉
Being in Lewes on Bonifire Night is amazing and also completely bonkers. It is soooo crowded, so much noise, bright lights and lots of fizz bangs. All the shops on the main streets have to be board up (which was great as it meant we finished early). It was fine for me as we could watch from the 1st floor bay windows, drink tea, eat hot food and walk to our loo. If you are out in the streets, its usually bitterly cold and be prepared that if you drink, good luck finding a loo!!! plus waiting for a train home afterwards, time to freeze your assets on the platform. Good grief, we are a mad lot, great isnt it :D
I grew up only a few miles from Lewes and had a direct train route but never went to Lewes itself because of the lack of public transport on Bonfire Night. Did our little town effigy parade instead. Do feel like I missed out on something though. One thing the video didn't say was that in Sussex, lots of towns and villages have a bonfire society and one does a parade each week leading back, so some bonfire parades are way back in September. Good memories of watching the flaming torches though and my dad was often in it dressed up as a pirate for some unknown reason.
It’s pure speculation of course, but a possible reason why bonfires and burning effigies were adopted with such enthusiasm is related to the much earlier pagan custom of lighting bonfires at the waning of the year, around November, to encourage the return of the Sun. Who knows? We Brits love a good excuse for a party and burning a few effigies maybe appeals to something deep in our psyche. Someone else already commented that the Danes like doing this too, so given our history with them, maybe there’s a connection?
We used to celebrate Guy Fawkes night in Australia when I was a kid. These days it’s long forgotten. Fireworks are illegal, and going around lighting fires in November would also probably get you locked up. It was fun though…
My birthday is on Nov 5 and as a kid I didn't really understand the history of Bonfire Night but I loved telling people that they set off fireworks in England "for my birthday".
For Halloween, it would be interesting to do a video on the witch trials that took place in Scotland during the reign of King James. Love your channel!
Rookwood, Morgan etal had crossed a river and they were worried that the gunpowder had gotten wet, which was why they did the bonkers thing of spreading it out in front of a fire to dry out.
As an American, I have always been very confused about who Guy Fawkes was and what he did. I was told in York, when I saw his house where he lived, that he led the Gunpowder rebellion but there were so many pieces and people to it to understand that it made no sense. I thought somehow he was a hero the way a holiday was made after him. Your explanation of the incident and the people involved was so much clearer and concise that is was a joy to actually comprehend it. What a great teacher you are. You took something very convoluted and made it so much more understandable without losing a really good story line. As usual, your retrospective is perfect for explaining the intricate nuances without losing the excitement of the events. Brava. 🌺🌸
Interesting. It is clear I didn't know that much about Guy Fawkes. I thought he was caught red handed, so to speak, and those working with him, ran for the hills -- some escaped and some did not. Since US history doesn't really cover this plot, I have learned about it here and there. Thank you for a more detailed explanation.
I watched the film V For Vendetta recently. It was really good, despite the political message of the original comic being diluted. In it, the first stanza of the poem is referenced a couple of times.
I grew up being told about the wider conspirators, but maybe because my grandparents lived a couple of miles from Holbeche House where Catesby and crew were hiding out. It's a care home now!
I'm interested to know your thoughts on if Robert son of Lord Burleigh and the chief spymaster knew about the plot in advance and was just waiting until the conspirators got together each rope to hang, draw and quarter themselves so to speak.
When you show the two signatures of Guy Fawkes side by side, in the "before" signature it looks like he signed himself "Guido Fawkes." Same in the illustration of the conspirators. I found that interesting that it seems he preferred the Italian version of his name, even though that is not the version he is remembered by today.
I'm in Northern California and have gone to bonfire night on the beach near Muir Woods. My friends are ex-pats, and it was a wonderful experience. Effigies of modern politicians were burned, to much shouting. Thank you for your take on this event that still resonates over four centuries later.
That was fascinating - I’m from New Zealand and I remember this day as a bit of a party with fireworks and rushing about with a sparkler. Australia doesn’t seem to have a Guy Fawkes celebration- though calling it a celebration seems a touch macabre now I understand the background a little more fully.
I truly love your videos. It provides a better understanding of the rich history of your country, plus the unknown side stories that you bring to life. Very entertaining, thank you.
I am also new to your channel and just wanted to say a quick hi and thank you. I'm trapped in my house with some health issues for a while and I really appreciate the company and info! In the states when your health gets wobbly they give you a bunch of REALLY good drugs so if I can still understand what you are talking about then you MUST be doing a great job! Thanks again 😀
I attended International Schools in Europe as a child. I remember ... " Remember ...Remember the 5th of November" but I couldn't remember why. Thank you for 'reminding' me.
Amazing that they kept adding people to the conspiracy, or at least to knowledge of the conspiracy. I guess they had not heard that aphorism that 2 (let alone so many!) can keep a secret if one of them is dead. It is also amazing that they had the nerve even to think of such a plot considering the extreme nastiness of the punishment that awaited them if they were to be caught, which was likely! Thanks, Dr. Kat. Another informative and fascinating video! I spent part of my childhood in Bermuda which is where, at the age of about 9, I learned about Guy Fawkes Day. I am a grandmother now, but I remember well the fireworks and the sparklers in November, instead of in July, which was all I had known living here in the U.S. prior to the move to Bermuda.
A wonderful telling of the tale, thanks! As a lad, even though a Catholic child, I loved bonfire night, making the Guy and burning it, all the fireworks and fun. As I got older, though no longer a Catholic, I did wonder at the ritual burning of a Catholic that the nation enjoyed every year - it seemed distasteful. I even stopped enjoying fireworks when I saw how they frightened my pets. I wouldn't want it banned, but if it fell out of favour naturally, I wouldn't shed a tear for the passing of this tradition.
Aahhh. Nothing like listening to you as I go about "business" at home. There's no rush to get done and I can stop, ponder, reverse, listen again and then carry on. This was, as all have been, interesting, educating and the few bits of humor (your expression, tone), appreciated.
Thanks for this great explanation. As an American, I've never understood this. . .um, unique ritual of observing this event. Can I ask - had the 1 ton of gunpowder exploded, how much damage would the surrounding area have taken? What, beyond the Parliament building, would have also been lost? I would imagine there would have been a lot of innocent lives lost in collateral damage.
There is a fascinating documentary on You tube with Richard Hammond of Top Gear fame, where they actually build Parliament as it was then and blow it up using the same amount of gunpowder. You will never watch an action movie with explosions in the same way again! We all know they are hokum, but just How Much will become immediately apparent. th-cam.com/video/h1b2w4GxBU0/w-d-xo.html
Dr. Kat thank you from the bottom of my heart I now 67yrs and have acquired offspring to the Nth degree my grand children give me that stare when I declare we are not the 51st of the Union and my Great-Grandchildren scare the shite of of me I used to find me and my older brothers construction in an old pram base Scary Ho Hum So getting back on track thank you for Guy Fawkes night
Ooooh, I love discussion about how tightly religion and politics have come up through the ages… “portal for treason”, such a good term, making me want to think about way too many tangents! Ok, I’ve spouted my nonsense, I must focus now on the Doctor’s words.
Living in Brighton, I've often had the opportunity of visiting Lewes on Bonfire night. Yeah, it can get a little hairy to say to least. However, it's very atmospheric, the processions of people walking through this old county town holding burning torches, the people in costume and, of course, the effigy of a public figure paraded through the streets and then put upon a bonfire. That always gets a big cheer. The last time I saw it, it was David Cameron doing something rather unpleasant with a pig! I wonder who it will be this year?
Throughly enjoyed it, looking fwd to hear about Charles 1 & 2 or maybe James 2nd reign, a very not spoken period of English history....somehow the Tudors era has taken over in popularity contest followed by victoriana era...I also thank you for the King John video, loved it🙏💜
Oh yay! This is a topic I’ve been confused about… are we cheering him for trying, or that he failed? Double yay, I wrote that within the opening music!!
@@danielleswan3602 hi I was going to ask imagine if lady Jane grey was never killed by Bloody Mary and her and Gilford had a happy life and she had children and if she was still alive in 1603 and became queen of England and she was still alive in 1605 when the gun powder plot happened what would her reaction be and what would guy Fawkes death be worse then what james did or less in your opinion
@@raumaanking Jane was a pretty zealous protestant and Elizabeth's attitude towards her sisters Katherine and Mary's marriages shows she wasn't keen to have rivals around who could be rallied around as possible successors.
@@EmoBearRights yeah but Jane still could have been queen since her marriage with Gilford was valid Would their have been a competition between 3 woman Elizabeth the 1 Mary queen of Scots and Lady Jane Grey to be queen of England
@@raumaanking holy crap, that’s way too many suppositions for my tiny brain to contemplate. I can barely understand the gist of history that is! 😂 What do you think?
Thank you Dr Kat. I remember , as a child, ( many, many moons ago) we’d have bonfire night every year at my Aunty and uncles place. They had a huge back yard. I can remember the excitement of the fireworks 💥, they were beautiful. A huge bon fire as well. I can’t remember if there was an effigy there or not. On one hand I’d like to say that I think there was but, is that a false memory from hearing about it so much. From school I can remember ‘ remember, remember the 5th of November’. I also remember one of the nuns from the convent next door used to come in and watch with us. Perhaps they all did, I only remember this one - sister Maria - because she used to play with me while I was waiting for my sister to have her piano lesson. There was a huge tree between the convent and my aunties place and she’d climb up and sit in the tree with me. I remember her so well. She always had time for a shy little girl. Our own children used to have sparklers, it was starting to be phased out by then. At first it was voluntary, then it became law. Strangely enough, you’d be surprised ( maybe not) at how easy it is to buy fireworks. These days it’s more “ will you stop those b....h things, you’re scaring my dog”. Like a fish wife at the top of my voice. So embarrassing but they’re not in a place with a dog who’s freaking out and barking for hours on end. I don’t mind on , say, NYE - fine, you expect it , or Australia Day, may not like it but it’s expected. What I don’t like is just out of stupidity. Thank you , great video. 👵👵👵👵🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺💥💥
So excellent Dr Kat !! I was very familiar with the history and the players within the plot. But never was it so entertainingly presented. You’re hilarious my dear. It’s unfortunate these conspirators were about a hundred and fifty years too early to learn from young Benjamin Franklin on the other side of the pond “Three may keep a secret if two of them are dead”.
@@lynnpayne9519 The Orange guy who had hospital ships and supplies in March 2020 but the Dems mocked him for how he said China and called him and all others racists for wanting to shut the boarder as they instead forced, yes forced, C positives into nursing homes where are elderly died but they didn't need to and the news lied about everything we could see with our own eyes as they lied to fools about reality and spread division and praise of guys like Cuomo who signed that nursing homes must take C positives? That Orange guy? The one I was made to hate for years till I realized he wasn't the bad guy? Pay attention to where the lies, censorship, and duress are coming from? Hint, it wasn't Orange guy. Why don't you do what I do. Be so shocked that people could like him that you actually start to go to the primary sources and be humbled by what you find out. Care. I don't just mean that the way propaganda has been shoved that word down our throats to mean spread the lies and stay in fear. I could tell you real things I have seen but my comment would get removed. Think about that!
@@lynnpayne9519 Also, I joined the 8,000,000 MORE that voted for Orange this time. That made him the most popular president of all time till a few hours of pause and 4AM when B became more popular than any other. Really? I NEVER thought I would vote for him but he wasn't only better, he was NEEDED as real people looked around and found out what was really going on. Look at what is going on now, do you still not see it? Seriously, I had to humble to look into him and now I am humbled by finding out he was far from the bad guy, he was one of the few good guys that actually cared. Do you care? Or will you repeat what you have been shown to repeat? Like I used to.
That was so interesting - thank you. I always wondered about that engraving. I always assumed that the three men with their hands in the centre, Catesby, Wright and Percy, were the ringleaders? I like that you've made me think again!
As I discovered, Charles II put an end to the effigy burnings, in the 1670's, after the so called popish plots, and fireworks were only to be used on 25th November to celebrate Queen Catherine's birthday.
In the 1960s, we would rush off to the Local newsagent and use our Pennies to Buy Bangers and Various Rockets. Depending on our Haul..! Being Guilty of not giving it to Charity at all..! In fact Annoying the local neighborhood was our Main Aim..! Ratbags we were..!! Some of my Fondest memories remain even at the age of 65 yrs old. November was the Best..!! Great Video, Detail. Thank you. Cheers kim in Oz. 😎
Where I lived as a child in the sixties, there were bonfires in every back garden. We an our nextdoor neighbours would take turns setting off the fire works to make the fireworks "display"last longer.
@@cennethadameveson3715 Yep we would have 3 or 4 family groups in our Backyard. Eveyone bringing their Collection. And it would be a Night of Gunpowder and Hot potatoes cooked in the Bonfire. The Thing most Amusing was The Parents would behave like Children too. We never had any Accidents thankfully. Although at one point A 'Helicopter type" firework, Landed in the Big box of Fireworks. A quick thinking parent flicked it out of the Box, before it all went off in One big Bang..! After that 'Lid on Box' rules were Attended to a little more Strictly..!! Great memories of joy..!! 😎
Very interesting video and topic! I first saw that engraving of the gunpowder conspirators some time in my early teens, and I remember thinking even then that it was no wonder that the plot leaked. Far too many heads, and now you tell us that Catesby brought in even more people. Your mention of Anne of Denmark led me down several rabbit holes on Wikipedia, and now I want to find out even more about the disastrous North Sea journey, the one that led to the first witchcraft trials in Denmark and Scotland. Do you know if anyone has studied it closer? From what I can find out, the Danish Admiral who had been in charge of the fleet accused Christoffer Valkendorf, treasurer of the Danish realm, of poorly outfitting the ships -- at least one of them sprang a leak -- but Valkendorf got out of the charge. Because witchcraft. Hmm. With the North Sea being a rough crossing at the best of times, I'd have said that setting sail in September wasn't the smartest thing to do...
Burning an effigy on a bonfire seems such a pagan thing to do, I wonder if part of the popularity of bonfire night is that it is embedded in our cultural dna. I can imagine us doing that thousands of years ago, not just a few hundred years ago. Our true spirit and nature echoing through the ages. Or we just like burning things.
Hi Beverly, I don’t dislike fireworks displays at all, in fact, I go most years. Lewes is a bit scary to me because of the fire procession through the town - I used to live nearby and heard tales of people throwing fireworks into the crowd. Also, lots of people who watch this channel aren’t from the U.K. so I can understand how celebrated the failure of a bombing with explosions might seem a little close to the knuckle 😬
@@ReadingthePast the "fire procession" is a torch light procession, yes there are fire carts but these are to gather the spent torches. Fireworks are not thrown into the crowd rather dropped at the feet of those walking in ranks, and when the crowd so throw Fireworks that is when it gets dangerous to sound petty it's a local tradition and for locals
Unfortunately I lived in Northern Ireland and we didn’t really celebrate 5th we were more into Halloween. Maybe because of Roman Catholics being quite numerous. Once the ‘Troubles’ started, fireworks got banned pretty quick. I think it is only organised events that have fireworks and that is recently. The main change that banning fireworks caused was that A & E departments in hospitals stopped having such horrible injuries in due to fireworks.
@@ReadingthePast The end of the winter, actually. Every community builds a kind of a stake (the higher the better) and put a witch puppet filled with fireworks on top. If that thing doesn't explode in the end, it's a bad omen (apparently) and you have to bury the puppet the next day. Also, on that evening, people in the villages have fireworks and eat together. It is quite an event in Vorarlberg (the most western state of Austria)
Dr. Kat, greetings from Leipzig and thank you for another super post. Please, can you do something about London and Westminster between the Roman departure and the start of the medieval city? Its re-growth was within the 600 year old Roman wall but all the buildings and the street plan had disappeared. I find this period the most fascinating, perhaps because it is the most mysterious.
We used to spend hours collecting wood on our estate. Making guys etc, taking them around houses collecting money. It brought all the kids together for a purpose. We've lost that now. Kids didn't think much about the meaning we were taught because it was harmless and we were having fun.
Dr Kat, I can recall a certain 'glee' when I discovered that two uncles of the foundress of the order of nuns at my Sydney (Australia) school were a part of the Gunpowder Plot (the Wrights) ... not because I support religious (or any kind of) terrorism - far from it - but because I am a history nerd.
As an American, I know about as much as the poem and "V: For Vendetta explained. Thanks for making this. Like most things in history, the common story is only a small portion of the true story.
I remember a story that the pupils of Fawkes' old school in York didn't indulge in Bon fire night as it's not the done thing to burn one of the old boys.
I love Bonfire Night, one of my favourite nights of the year. It's sad that it's becoming overshadowed by the increasing Americanisation of Halloween / Nos Calan Gaeaf 🥺
Hi Dr. Kat! I’ve been catching up with all of your videos, and I’m so very glad I found you! You’re brilliant! Your videos are perfect! I’ve accidentally clicked the dislike a couple times (fat fingers) and quickly switched from dislike to like, as originally intended. 🥰 Thank you so much for sharing your extensive knowledge with us! I’ll keep (attempting to) hit the like button as I catch up! ❤️
Your lurid descriptions of how Bonfire night is celebrated in modernity and the facial expressions that went with them are worth the price of admission. I was aware of the history, but not aware of how it's celebrated now, so that was a treat.
Hammond from Top Gear/The Grand Tour, hosted a documentary where they built a replica of Westminster at the time, filled it with mannequins of all the nobles and people who'd have been there, then filled their basement with the same amount of gun powder (made to that time periods specifications), and blew it up. Their goal was to see just how destructive it could have been if the conspirators had actually done it. The explosion was spectacular! It's a pretty fun watch if you're interested.
I lived in Newfoundland Canada for 20 years. They have bonfire night every November 5th. The bonfires are all over the island.
Your reaction at 24:40ish about drying the gunpowder in front of a fire! 😂😂 Classic!
In New Zealand, we let off fireworks on the 5th Nov , we don't call it Bonfire Night or burn effigies but it is known here as Guy Fawkes , I don't believe many Kiwis actually know the history behind why we do this , funny thing is November is Spring Time in New Zealand , all the kids have to wait until around 9:30 at night to see anything because we have Daylight saving beginning in October here. As usual another entertaining video with appropriate facial expressions from the talented Dr Kat
I thought naming the Phoenix in Harry Potter Fawkes was clever. Nobody in America really knows much about Guy Fawkes day. I smiled at the reference.
I am Brazilian and live in England since 2007. The gunfire plot always got my interest and I knew it was against the king but wasn’t aware it was due to religion… thank you Dr Kat for your videos and this one in particular. It is very interesting and you are extremely knowledgeable!
As an American hearing you state you come from a completely normal country made me laugh. Looking at the Southern US including my home in Tennessee and thinking hell we don't even try to hide our crazy anymore. If we ever did in the first place. I'd love to hear more about King James I and his changing views on "witches". Thanks for your hard work and highly entertaining content.
@sayjay198080 I grew up in Alabama and you have it right.
I live in a province in Canada 🇨🇦, Alberta, I'll name it, that is being called the Texas of the North with how our Priemer is handling the plague. It is truly embarrassing. 🤗 We do have alot of oil, and know as having some of the best beef in the world. So the reference has been a long one but, how he's handling things is so bad!!! The military had to send us nurses cuz how bad our hospitals got. 🥺🤨🥺 I feel ya.
@@theguest4516 Big hugs. I feel you deeply on the pandemic issues that just added to the crazy. Take heart my Canadian friend. Election season is coming. With any luck and more than a few (What do they call it? Ah yes! Liberal) liberal individuals, things will get better for y'all. I hope the same for all of us.
@@sayjay198080 yes vote to not have a virus. maybe people will stop dieing.
We southerners put our crazy on the front porch and give it a glass of sweet tea.
My ex-husband's stepfather was in the US Navy and was stationed in Wales while my ex was a child. He attended the local British school system there. He has told me stories of going around asking for pennies for the Guy.
"John Johnson" a name that just *screams* "I'm not using an alibi, nope not at all".
(insert joke about doing "Job" at "Place" here)
Fun fact Kit Harrington is related to Catesby through his mother's side and played him in the HBO miniseries about this.
He is also related to John Harrington who invented the first flushed toilet
In one word, Kit Harrington is posh.
I watched this last week. It's very good telling of what went on.
Strange that England sets off fireworks for saving the King, while we in America set off fireworks on the 4th of July for declaring independence from the King.
As a child we always celebrated Bonfire Night. These days I enjoy watching all the neighbourhood fireworks. I'm Roman Catholic. Daft huh!
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My catholic family always celebrated it too. Any excuse for a bonfire! ;)
As a child I did too, not Catholic, just American. But my grandmother LOVED an excuse to put black powder in a bonfire!
Dr. Kat, if you ever had the time or inclination, I would so love and appreciate it if you could curate a reading list of some of the topics you have covered. I so enjoy your videos and would love to delve further into some of them, but sometimes have difficulty ferreting out which books are accurate and/or helpful. A guided or recommended reading list from you would be amazing. Perhaps the community could vote on particular lists we would most like? Maybe one day you also might consider proctoring a monthly or bimonthly reading club? I'm sure you're frightfully busy, but I do hope you might consider it. Thank you so very much for all of the amazing content you have produced for us. You've reignited in me a love of history I thought I'd misplaced after university.
Yes please. I would love that too! I nearly always try to learn more about the people, places, things you present Dr. Kat.
Yes real life is more fascinating gory and exciting than anything written for fiction/live action. We humans are a crazy bunch. When I read or watch historical programs i often am often left speechless and think What the hell were you thinking? Especially when those pesky Tudors are involved.😉
✨ *EXCELLENT* *IDEA!!* ✨
🙂🙂🙂🙂
This is the nicest and clearest depiction of what used to be a muddled narrative in my mind...until now. Thank you.
Being in Lewes on Bonifire Night is amazing and also completely bonkers. It is soooo crowded, so much noise, bright lights and lots of fizz bangs. All the shops on the main streets have to be board up (which was great as it meant we finished early). It was fine for me as we could watch from the 1st floor bay windows, drink tea, eat hot food and walk to our loo. If you are out in the streets, its usually bitterly cold and be prepared that if you drink, good luck finding a loo!!! plus waiting for a train home afterwards, time to freeze your assets on the platform. Good grief, we are a mad lot, great isnt it :D
Trains this year aren't stopping in Lewes from 5pm until Saturday morning!
I grew up only a few miles from Lewes and had a direct train route but never went to Lewes itself because of the lack of public transport on Bonfire Night. Did our little town effigy parade instead. Do feel like I missed out on something though.
One thing the video didn't say was that in Sussex, lots of towns and villages have a bonfire society and one does a parade each week leading back, so some bonfire parades are way back in September. Good memories of watching the flaming torches though and my dad was often in it dressed up as a pirate for some unknown reason.
Hope their pets are sent to places outside of the village beforehand… this must be terrifying for them.
I'm a very new subscriber and I just love your delivery, style, and the topics you cover. Thanks oh so much, Dr. Kat!!!
It’s pure speculation of course, but a possible reason why bonfires and burning effigies were adopted with such enthusiasm is related to the much earlier pagan custom of lighting bonfires at the waning of the year, around November, to encourage the return of the Sun. Who knows? We Brits love a good excuse for a party and burning a few effigies maybe appeals to something deep in our psyche. Someone else already commented that the Danes like doing this too, so given our history with them, maybe there’s a connection?
I thought the same thing re burning man
We used to celebrate Guy Fawkes night in Australia when I was a kid. These days it’s long forgotten. Fireworks are illegal, and going around lighting fires in November would also probably get you locked up.
It was fun though…
I just love it when someone uses the term “voluntold”! 😆
In our house it's "Remember, remember, the fifth of November . . . because it's Daddy's birthday!". No bonfires, though. Just a cake with candles.
Thanks for reciting the whole poem and the different versions! I never knew the whole thing, so it was fun for me
My birthday is on Nov 5 and as a kid I didn't really understand the history of Bonfire Night but I loved telling people that they set off fireworks in England "for my birthday".
Me, too!
It would be great if you could do the Babington plot.
Great suggestion, thank you 😊 I’ll pop it on my list 🌟
And if you have time in that vid talk about about both Elizabeth movies used it for plot due to how historically inaccurate they were
For Halloween, it would be interesting to do a video on the witch trials that took place in Scotland during the reign of King James. Love your channel!
Rookwood, Morgan etal had crossed a river and they were worried that the gunpowder had gotten wet, which was why they did the bonkers thing of spreading it out in front of a fire to dry out.
I mean… imagine if they had succeeded… if they ended up in charge 😬 they are the princes of bad choices 🤣🤣🤣
As an American, I have always been very confused about who Guy Fawkes was and what he did. I was told in York, when I saw his house where he lived, that he led the Gunpowder rebellion but there were so many pieces and people to it to understand that it made no sense. I thought somehow he was a hero the way a holiday was made after him. Your explanation of the incident and the people involved was so much clearer and concise that is was a joy to actually comprehend it. What a great teacher you are. You took something very convoluted and made it so much more understandable without losing a really good story line. As usual, your retrospective is perfect for explaining the intricate nuances without losing the excitement of the events. Brava. 🌺🌸
Dr Kat!
Thank you so much for incredibly interesting videos.
Interesting. It is clear I didn't know that much about Guy Fawkes. I thought he was caught red handed, so to speak, and those working with him, ran for the hills -- some escaped and some did not. Since US history doesn't really cover this plot, I have learned about it here and there. Thank you for a more detailed explanation.
I watched the film V For Vendetta recently. It was really good, despite the political message of the original comic being diluted.
In it, the first stanza of the poem is referenced a couple of times.
I grew up being told about the wider conspirators, but maybe because my grandparents lived a couple of miles from Holbeche House where Catesby and crew were hiding out. It's a care home now!
Thank you for the added information 🌟
I'm interested to know your thoughts on if Robert son of Lord Burleigh and the chief spymaster knew about the plot in advance and was just waiting until the conspirators got together each rope to hang, draw and quarter themselves so to speak.
When you show the two signatures of Guy Fawkes side by side, in the "before" signature it looks like he signed himself "Guido Fawkes." Same in the illustration of the conspirators. I found that interesting that it seems he preferred the Italian version of his name, even though that is not the version he is remembered by today.
I'm in Northern California and have gone to bonfire night on the beach near Muir Woods. My friends are ex-pats, and it was a wonderful experience. Effigies of modern politicians were burned, to much shouting.
Thank you for your take on this event that still resonates over four centuries later.
I had heard about this but did not know the details. Fascinating and intriguing !
That was fascinating - I’m from New Zealand and I remember this day as a bit of a party with fireworks and rushing about with a sparkler. Australia doesn’t seem to have a Guy Fawkes celebration- though calling it a celebration seems a touch macabre now I understand the background a little more fully.
I truly love your videos. It provides a better understanding of the rich history of your country, plus the unknown side stories that you bring to life. Very entertaining, thank you.
I am also new to your channel and just wanted to say a quick hi and thank you. I'm trapped in my house with some health issues for a while and I really appreciate the company and info! In the states when your health gets wobbly they give you a bunch of REALLY good drugs so if I can still understand what you are talking about then you MUST be doing a great job! Thanks again 😀
I attended International Schools in Europe as a child. I remember ... " Remember ...Remember the 5th of November" but I couldn't remember why. Thank you for 'reminding' me.
Thank you Kat, really interesting with extra detail xx
Brilliant presentation, thank you Dr. Kat!
Amazing that they kept adding people to the conspiracy, or at least to knowledge of the conspiracy. I guess they had not heard that aphorism that 2 (let alone so many!) can keep a secret if one of them is dead. It is also amazing that they had the nerve even to think of such a plot considering the extreme nastiness of the punishment that awaited them if they were to be caught, which was likely! Thanks, Dr. Kat. Another informative and fascinating video!
I spent part of my childhood in Bermuda which is where, at the age of about 9, I learned about Guy Fawkes Day. I am a grandmother now, but I remember well the fireworks and the sparklers in November, instead of in July, which was all I had known living here in the U.S. prior to the move to Bermuda.
ooh boy looking forward to this one!
I'd love to hear some speculation about who was to take the throne ....
Thank you for the excellent story telling. The time lines are now much clearer to me.
I do not celebrate Bonfire Night now. It seems so uncivilised
Here in Canada, Bonfire Night has been celebrated in Newfoundland and Labrador for as long as I can remember…
A wonderful telling of the tale, thanks! As a lad, even though a Catholic child, I loved bonfire night, making the Guy and burning it, all the fireworks and fun. As I got older, though no longer a Catholic, I did wonder at the ritual burning of a Catholic that the nation enjoyed every year - it seemed distasteful. I even stopped enjoying fireworks when I saw how they frightened my pets. I wouldn't want it banned, but if it fell out of favour naturally, I wouldn't shed a tear for the passing of this tradition.
Aahhh. Nothing like listening to you as I go about "business" at home. There's no rush to get done and I can stop, ponder, reverse, listen again and then carry on. This was, as all have been, interesting, educating and the few bits of humor (your expression, tone), appreciated.
Thanks for this great explanation. As an American, I've never understood this. . .um, unique ritual of observing this event. Can I ask - had the 1 ton of gunpowder exploded, how much damage would the surrounding area have taken? What, beyond the Parliament building, would have also been lost? I would imagine there would have been a lot of innocent lives lost in collateral damage.
There is a fascinating documentary on You tube with Richard Hammond of Top Gear fame, where they actually build Parliament as it was then and blow it up using the same amount of gunpowder. You will never watch an action movie with explosions in the same way again! We all know they are hokum, but just How Much will become immediately apparent. th-cam.com/video/h1b2w4GxBU0/w-d-xo.html
Bonfire Night is my birthday, so I do love a good video about it! Great work as ever!
Dr Kat you have an extraordinary ability to bring history to life!
Watching this on November 8th. Very interesting to learn all this! Thank you for these videos!
Thank you for the history and the current events.
Looking good, Dr. Kat! Loved the vlog!
Dr. Kat thank you from the bottom of my heart I now 67yrs and have acquired offspring to the Nth degree my grand children give me that stare when I declare we are not the 51st of the Union and my Great-Grandchildren scare the shite of of me I used to find me and my older brothers construction in an old pram base Scary Ho Hum So getting back on track thank you for Guy Fawkes night
Thank you explaining the plot and about bonfire night. It was very enlightening.
Ooooh, I love discussion about how tightly religion and politics have come up through the ages… “portal for treason”, such a good term, making me want to think about way too many tangents! Ok, I’ve spouted my nonsense, I must focus now on the Doctor’s words.
Living in Brighton, I've often had the opportunity of visiting Lewes on Bonfire night. Yeah, it can get a little hairy to say to least. However, it's very atmospheric, the processions of people walking through this old county town holding burning torches, the people in costume and, of course, the effigy of a public figure paraded through the streets and then put upon a bonfire. That always gets a big cheer. The last time I saw it, it was David Cameron doing something rather unpleasant with a pig! I wonder who it will be this year?
Great details to make the history clear. Thanks.
Thank you!
Throughly enjoyed it, looking fwd to hear about Charles 1 & 2 or maybe James 2nd reign, a very not spoken period of English history....somehow the Tudors era has taken over in popularity contest followed by victoriana era...I also thank you for the King John video, loved it🙏💜
All very interesting 🤨😉🤨 Take care and have fun!!! 😷😎😷
Oh yay! This is a topic I’ve been confused about… are we cheering him for trying, or that he failed? Double yay, I wrote that within the opening music!!
@Kim Alison ahhh yes, I see where you’re coming from.
@@danielleswan3602 hi I was going to ask imagine if lady Jane grey was never killed by Bloody Mary and her and Gilford had a happy life and she had children and if she was still alive in 1603 and became queen of England and she was still alive in 1605 when the gun powder plot happened what would her reaction be and what would guy Fawkes death be worse then what james did or less in your opinion
@@raumaanking Jane was a pretty zealous protestant and Elizabeth's attitude towards her sisters Katherine and Mary's marriages shows she wasn't keen to have rivals around who could be rallied around as possible successors.
@@EmoBearRights yeah but Jane still could have been queen since her marriage with Gilford was valid Would their have been a competition between 3 woman Elizabeth the 1 Mary queen of Scots and Lady Jane Grey to be queen of England
@@raumaanking holy crap, that’s way too many suppositions for my tiny brain to contemplate. I can barely understand the gist of history that is! 😂
What do you think?
Very interesting. I do know Guy Fawkes cheated his execution by dying by hanging but they still did the rest
Thank you Dr Kat. I remember , as a child, ( many, many moons ago) we’d have bonfire night every year at my Aunty and uncles place. They had a huge back yard. I can remember the excitement of the fireworks 💥, they were beautiful. A huge bon fire as well. I can’t remember if there was an effigy there or not. On one hand I’d like to say that I think there was but, is that a false memory from hearing about it so much. From school I can remember ‘ remember, remember the 5th of November’. I also remember one of the nuns from the convent next door used to come in and watch with us. Perhaps they all did, I only remember this one - sister Maria - because she used to play with me while I was waiting for my sister to have her piano lesson. There was a huge tree between the convent and my aunties place and she’d climb up and sit in the tree with me. I remember her so well. She always had time for a shy little girl. Our own children used to have sparklers, it was starting to be phased out by then. At first it was voluntary, then it became law. Strangely enough, you’d be surprised ( maybe not) at how easy it is to buy fireworks. These days it’s more “ will you stop those b....h things, you’re scaring my dog”. Like a fish wife at the top of my voice. So embarrassing but they’re not in a place with a dog who’s freaking out and barking for hours on end. I don’t mind on , say, NYE - fine, you expect it , or Australia Day, may not like it but it’s expected. What I don’t like is just out of stupidity. Thank you , great video. 👵👵👵👵🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺💥💥
So excellent Dr Kat !! I was very familiar with the history and the players within the plot. But never was it so entertainingly presented. You’re hilarious my dear. It’s unfortunate these conspirators were about a hundred and fifty years too early to learn from young Benjamin Franklin on the other side of the pond “Three may keep a secret if two of them are dead”.
When you describe the bonfire night traditions out loud it sounds totally deranged but growing up with it is perfectly normally
Yes I put back garden all the old furniture and mattress
As an American I think this sounds like a fun holiday! Can think of quite a few contemporary politicians we could burn in effigy!
Someone Orange
@@lynnpayne9519 The Orange guy who had hospital ships and supplies in March 2020 but the Dems mocked him for how he said China and called him and all others racists for wanting to shut the boarder as they instead forced, yes forced, C positives into nursing homes where are elderly died but they didn't need to and the news lied about everything we could see with our own eyes as they lied to fools about reality and spread division and praise of guys like Cuomo who signed that nursing homes must take C positives? That Orange guy? The one I was made to hate for years till I realized he wasn't the bad guy? Pay attention to where the lies, censorship, and duress are coming from? Hint, it wasn't Orange guy. Why don't you do what I do. Be so shocked that people could like him that you actually start to go to the primary sources and be humbled by what you find out. Care. I don't just mean that the way propaganda has been shoved that word down our throats to mean spread the lies and stay in fear. I could tell you real things I have seen but my comment would get removed. Think about that!
@@lynnpayne9519 Also, I joined the 8,000,000 MORE that voted for Orange this time. That made him the most popular president of all time till a few hours of pause and 4AM when B became more popular than any other. Really? I NEVER thought I would vote for him but he wasn't only better, he was NEEDED as real people looked around and found out what was really going on. Look at what is going on now, do you still not see it? Seriously, I had to humble to look into him and now I am humbled by finding out he was far from the bad guy, he was one of the few good guys that actually cared. Do you care? Or will you repeat what you have been shown to repeat? Like I used to.
That was so interesting - thank you. I always wondered about that engraving. I always assumed that the three men with their hands in the centre, Catesby, Wright and Percy, were the ringleaders? I like that you've made me think again!
When parliament is opened they still search the cellars.
As I discovered, Charles II put an end to the effigy burnings, in the 1670's, after the so called popish plots, and fireworks were only to be used on 25th November to celebrate Queen Catherine's birthday.
In the 1960s, we would rush off to the Local newsagent and use our Pennies to Buy Bangers and Various Rockets. Depending on our Haul..!
Being Guilty of not giving it to Charity at all..!
In fact Annoying the local neighborhood was our Main Aim..!
Ratbags we were..!! Some of my Fondest memories remain even at the age of 65 yrs old. November was the Best..!!
Great Video, Detail. Thank you.
Cheers kim in Oz. 😎
Where I lived as a child in the sixties, there were bonfires in every back garden. We an our nextdoor neighbours would take turns setting off the fire works to make the fireworks "display"last longer.
@@cennethadameveson3715 Yep we would have 3 or 4 family groups in our Backyard. Eveyone bringing their Collection. And it would be a Night of Gunpowder and Hot potatoes cooked in the Bonfire.
The Thing most Amusing was The Parents would behave like Children too.
We never had any Accidents thankfully. Although at one point A 'Helicopter type" firework, Landed in the Big box of Fireworks.
A quick thinking parent flicked it out of the Box, before it all went off in One big Bang..!
After that 'Lid on Box' rules were Attended to a little more Strictly..!!
Great memories of joy..!! 😎
Very interesting video and topic! I first saw that engraving of the gunpowder conspirators some time in my early teens, and I remember thinking even then that it was no wonder that the plot leaked. Far too many heads, and now you tell us that Catesby brought in even more people.
Your mention of Anne of Denmark led me down several rabbit holes on Wikipedia, and now I want to find out even more about the disastrous North Sea journey, the one that led to the first witchcraft trials in Denmark and Scotland. Do you know if anyone has studied it closer? From what I can find out, the Danish Admiral who had been in charge of the fleet accused Christoffer Valkendorf, treasurer of the Danish realm, of poorly outfitting the ships -- at least one of them sprang a leak -- but Valkendorf got out of the charge. Because witchcraft. Hmm. With the North Sea being a rough crossing at the best of times, I'd have said that setting sail in September wasn't the smartest thing to do...
Very interesting i deed and cutting to the xoreof the conundrum ...
Another great story lesson!
Thank you so much 😊🎃👻
Loved this! Thank you. I would like to submit a suggestion for topic: Marie de St Pol, Countess of Pembroke.
They were caught at Holbeache House about 2 miles from where I live.
Burning an effigy on a bonfire seems such a pagan thing to do, I wonder if part of the popularity of bonfire night is that it is embedded in our cultural dna. I can imagine us doing that thousands of years ago, not just a few hundred years ago. Our true spirit and nature echoing through the ages. Or we just like burning things.
Sad you don't enjoy Fireworks Night, Dr Kat; I would love to go to the Lewes display and miss going to a fireworks display. Must remember our history!
Hi Beverly, I don’t dislike fireworks displays at all, in fact, I go most years. Lewes is a bit scary to me because of the fire procession through the town - I used to live nearby and heard tales of people throwing fireworks into the crowd.
Also, lots of people who watch this channel aren’t from the U.K. so I can understand how celebrated the failure of a bombing with explosions might seem a little close to the knuckle 😬
@@ReadingthePast the "fire procession" is a torch light procession, yes there are fire carts but these are to gather the spent torches. Fireworks are not thrown into the crowd rather dropped at the feet of those walking in ranks, and when the crowd so throw Fireworks that is when it gets dangerous to sound petty it's a local tradition and for locals
Unfortunately I lived in Northern Ireland and we didn’t really celebrate 5th we were more into Halloween. Maybe because of Roman Catholics being quite numerous. Once the ‘Troubles’ started, fireworks got banned pretty quick. I think it is only organised events that have fireworks and that is recently.
The main change that banning fireworks caused was that A & E departments in hospitals stopped having such horrible injuries in due to fireworks.
dr kat i know you cant comment but im thinking you are excited dr starkey is back.
I love this i recently watched the mini series Gunpowder.
I never heard the full poem about Guy Fawkes. Interesting ... Bonfire night sounds almost like Funkensonntag where I grew up. Big fires and fireworks.
Ooh, what does that celebrate?
@@ReadingthePast The end of the winter, actually. Every community builds a kind of a stake (the higher the better) and put a witch puppet filled with fireworks on top. If that thing doesn't explode in the end, it's a bad omen (apparently) and you have to bury the puppet the next day. Also, on that evening, people in the villages have fireworks and eat together. It is quite an event in Vorarlberg (the most western state of Austria)
@@Mamaki1987 that’s really interesting, thank you ☺️
Dr. Kat, greetings from Leipzig and thank you for another super post. Please, can you do something about London and Westminster between the Roman departure and the start of the medieval city? Its re-growth was within the 600 year old Roman wall but all the buildings and the street plan had disappeared. I find this period the most fascinating, perhaps because it is the most mysterious.
I feel like this story would make a great historical comedy ala The Favourite or The Great. Possibly a Sean Penn vehicle?
Watching this on the 5th as fireworks fill the sky outside and the dog trembles and whines beside me
We used to spend hours collecting wood on our estate. Making guys etc, taking them around houses collecting money. It brought all the kids together for a purpose. We've lost that now. Kids didn't think much about the meaning we were taught because it was harmless and we were having fun.
New subscriber, love it, thanks Dr. Kat
Just discovered your channel! Great stuff, A+
Dr Kat, I can recall a certain 'glee' when I discovered that two uncles of the foundress of the order of nuns at my Sydney (Australia) school were a part of the Gunpowder Plot (the Wrights) ... not because I support religious (or any kind of) terrorism - far from it - but because I am a history nerd.
The second part of the chants you put up is chanted during Bonfire prayers in Lewes, ending with "what shall we do with him? Burn him!"
Ok, definitely burning the traitor. But why is Fawkes the guy? I’m so much more confused now, and will have to rewatch this a few times.
Hi Dr. Kat. Do you have/can you make a video about Mary, Queen of Scots?
As an American, I know about as much as the poem and "V: For Vendetta explained. Thanks for making this. Like most things in history, the common story is only a small portion of the true story.
V for vendetta has nothing to do with the 5 th
I remember a story that the pupils of Fawkes' old school in York didn't indulge in Bon fire night as it's not the done thing to burn one of the old boys.
I love Bonfire Night, one of my favourite nights of the year. It's sad that it's becoming overshadowed by the increasing Americanisation of Halloween / Nos Calan Gaeaf 🥺
Where did the Catholic side of the Throckmorton family of Coughton Court near studly/redditch/Stratford upon avon come in???
Hi Dr. Kat!
I’ve been catching up with all of your videos, and I’m so very glad I found you! You’re brilliant! Your videos are perfect!
I’ve accidentally clicked the dislike a couple times (fat fingers) and quickly switched from dislike to like, as originally intended. 🥰
Thank you so much for sharing your extensive knowledge with us! I’ll keep (attempting to) hit the like button as I catch up! ❤️