Guy Fawkes and Bonfire Night

Remember, remember the Fifth of November, gunpowder, treason and plot...

Bonfire Night is celebrated on the 5th of November and marks the anniversary of the discovery of a plot organised by Catholic conspirators to blow up the Houses of Parliament in London in 1605.

Who Was Guy Fawkes?

Guy Fawkes (also known as Guido Fawkes) was born around the 13th April 1570 in York.

He was a Catholic - during the time that he was alive, the King of England was King James I, who was a Protestant and did not want Catholics in the country.

What was the Gunpowder Plot?

Lots of Catholics thought that the King was an evil man and a group of men led by Robert Catesby decided to get rid of him. Guy Fawkes was part of this group. They plotted to kill King James I by blowing up the House of Lords (part of the Houses of Parliament) during the State Opening of England's Parliament on 5th November, when the King and all of his leaders would be together.

Guy Fawkes was put in charge of all the explosives because he had many years of experience in the military. He was chosen as the man to light the fuse which would blow up the House of Lords. They put barrels of gunpowder and wood in the basement of the Houses of Parliament so that no one could see them, and they plotted together to kill the King.

One of the people involved in the plot secretly warned a relative, because they were going to be in Parliament at that time and they wanted them to be safe. The King found out about the plot and the basement of the House of Lords was searched, where they found Guy Fawkes guarding the barrels of gunpowder, ready to light the fuse to blow up Parliament. Guy Fawkes was severely punished, sent to the Tower of London and eventually killed for high treason.

What is Bonfire Night?

When Guy Fawkes was caught, the people of London were encouraged to light bonfires that night to celebrate the safety of the King, and an Act of Parliament declared that 5th November would continued to be celebrated. Even though the Act of Parliament ended in 1859, people still celebrate with bonfires on November 5th.

Sometimes, people make a 'Guy' dummy to burn on the bonfire, from old clothes, newspapers or straw. Fireworks are also set off in celebration.

Writing Projects on Purple Mash:

You can use our writing templates in many ways this Bonfire Night. Start by telling the story of November 5th 1605 by using the Guy Fawkes storyboard template.

Then, start the celebrations with a poem about fireworks. Try to include onomatopoeic words and alliteration. With fireworks, bonfires and sparklers a plenty, it’s really important to be careful on Bonfire Night. Use our Firework Safety Poster (KS1) or Leaflet (KS2) to show how you can stay safe.

Guy Fawkes and Bonfire Night Activities:

Share what you know about Guy Fawkes and Bonfire Night with these fun activities:

• Add more questions to the quiz about Guy Fawkes
• Design another level for the Hide the Gunpower 3D game
• Completing your own 3D model design of Parliament
• Share your research with this Guy Fawkes 2Connect

There are also several 2Code programmes that you can use from Exploring Firework Safety, to a beautiful Catherine Wheel, alongside Rockets and Sparklers! Here you will practice coding with timers, clicks and variables to make beautiful firework displays.

Paint Projects

It’s not Bonfire Night without pretty colours filling the sky. Use our Firework template to paint your very own Firework Display.

Or how about making things even more bright with our colour painting template? How many colours do you know?

Email Guy Fawkes

Ever wanted to have a conversation with Guy Fawkes and find out why he planned the Gunpowder Plot? Well now you can with 2Respond! Share all the information you know with him and see what he says about why we are celebrating.

However you spend Bonfire Night, please stay safe. Share your work with us on X or Facebook and have fun Purple Mashing!