Guy Fawkes' night

We all know the significance of 5th November, but how many of us know which year the Gunpowder plot took place?
And yes, we've heard of Guy Fawkes, but what about Robert Catesby, who masterminded the plot? And why, when this is only one of several attempts to bring explosives into the Houses of Parliament (and a miserable failure at that) has the plot survived so strongly in the popular consciousness?

 

Mark Nicholls, in an entertaining and informative essay -  The Gunpowder Plot in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Online, argues that it is the force of the personalities involved in the plot, the drama of the plot itself, and the enduring mysteries surrounding the tale that ensure it is still remembered to this day.

 

Library members can log on to the Dictionary of National Biography and read the essay for themselves. You can also find biographies of all the main conspirators, with images from the National Portrait Gallery.

Or if you're more interested in contemporary Parliamentary controversies, Martin Bell's new book,  "A very British revolution: the expenses scandal and how to save our democracy", can now be reserved to collect from your local library.