Gunpowder Plot Society Home Page

"He told me the nature of the disease required so sharp a remedy, and asked me if I would give my consent. I told him yes, in this and what else soever, if he resolved upon it, I would venture my life"

Thomas Wintour's Confession

On November 5, 1605, a solitary figure was arrested in the cellars of Parliament House. Although he first gave his name as John Johnson, a startling series of events gradually unfolded under torture. Guy Fawkes, as he was really called, was one of thirteen who had conspired to blow up the parliament, the King, and his Lords, thereby throwing the country into turmoil, out of which these traitors hoped to raise a new monarch, sympathetic to their cause, and return England to its Catholic past.

The circumstances surrounding what drove these thirteen disaffected Catholics, led by the charismatic Robert Catesby, to such a desperate act are the focus of the Gunpowder Plot Society.

For the circumstances are far from straightforward.

The conflicting historical details so far can only confirm one theory - that the offical account of this event, that persists in our folklore, cannot possibly be true. The debate over what the evidence means has been hotly contested by many eminent scholars through the centuries, and continues to be an engaging enigma for today's historians.

This web site covers everything from the history of the period, the various facts and theories, profiles on the conspirators and other key characters, comprehensive genealogical database, sites of historical importance, and an extensive downloadable archive of source material, manuscript and document translations, correspondence, and legal transcriptions (including confessions).

Visit the new GPS site here --> New GPS Site


Ashby St. Ledgers, Northamptonshire	The Monteagle Letter	Guy Fawkes

Aims of the Gunpowder Plot Society
The aims of the Gunpowder Plot Society are to promote and encourage research on all aspects of the Gunpowder Plot by providing a central repository for information, source material, and research assistance, as well as to provide an open forum for discussion through our mailing list and newsletters.
"I find it consoling to know....there is a society like yours which may be trusted to pursue the question in the proper spirit of objectivity.." - Francis Edwards SJ, F.S.A, F.R.Hist.S

House of Commons
Resource Link Site of the Month
November 1998

So you think you're related to one of the Gunpowder Plotters? Find out more by visiting our Genealogical Information Page
The GPS would like to encourage schools to look objectively at the subject, and expand on their understanding of what happened and why. This is why we have created a page for students to have their work displayed - to give readers an overall perspective of what and why we are being taught, and highlight the variations of the story that still exist today.

This site is best viewed using Netscape 4.x or higher and a screen resolution of 800 x 600 or higher. Click the Netscape icon to download the latest version of Netscape.

You are the visitor to sweep the dust from this period of history.

Copyright © 1997-2005 The Gunpowder Plot Society;
Last updated 31 October 2005


House of Commons Resource Link	Site of the Month November 1998