We all know the basic story of Guy Fawkes and the Gun Powder Plot – but have you ever wondered how that actually ended up being something we celebrate every year, 400 years after it happened? Well I’ve done a little research into the more obscure parts of the history of Bonfire night.
1) Up until 1859 you were legally obliged to celebrate the 5th of November…
Apparently after the Gun Powder plot was foiled, an English baron named Edward Montagu drafted a bill called the ‘Observance of 5th November Act 1605’. This bill declared that the 5th of November should become an annual day of public thanksgiving. It was believed that divine intervention was the reason for the plot being stopped which revealed the power of King James.This law made the 5th of November a public holiday on which Church attendance was mandatory. However, it was only officially repealed in March 1859.
2) America used to celebrate it…
We tend to think of Bonfire night as a very British thing however, for a little while it was celebrated in North America too. Although celebrations there never seemed to have been widespread they definitely existed until the American War of Independence.
In 1662, in Boston, two boys were arrested for lighting bonfires on the 5th of November. This has led some historians to believe that for a time Bonfire night became an underground tradition in North America, particularly New England. Even though it was more commonly known as Pope Day!
3) It used to be rather anti-Catholic…
The reason that the Americans called it ‘Pope Day’ was because for a long time Bonfire night was actually used as a way of preaching against the Catholics. England was, at the time, strongly divided between Catholic and Protestant. Puritans would even give sermons criticizing the Catholics and they burnt effigies of the Pope in the same way as effigies of Guy Fawkes.
The strong anti-Catholic associations did start to fade later when King James’ son, the future King Charles I got married to a French Catholic. Nowadays, not many people are aware that Bonfire night once had anti-Catholic connotations. In 1998 a Catholic magazine ran an article calling for the end of Bonfire night on that grounds that is was ‘an offensive act’.
4) It managed to survive Cromwell and the English civil war …
During the time around 1649 when England was briefly republican and Oliver Cromwell was in charge, it would make sense to think that Bonfire night would have met its end. After all he did try and ban Christmas, you’d think a day celebrating the survival of a monarch would be very high up on his long list of things to ban. However, Bonfire night continued but as a celebration of Parliament rather than of the king.
5) Bonfire Toffee and Black Peas!
Finally, it’s worth mentioning some great Bonfire night food traditions (snack ideas while you watch the fireworks). Treacle toffee is so commonly eaten around the 5th of November that it is sometimes given the alternative name ‘Bonfire Toffee’. Traditionally, it should be bought as a large toffee slab and if you want a bit you have to give it a good whack with a toffee hammer.
When I was talking to my housemates about this article I was shocked to find out they’d never had black peas around Bonfire night! My strongest memory of Bonfire night as a kid is standing around with a plastic cup full of vinegar soaked black peas. I looked it up and apparently black peas on Bonfire night is a tradition very specific to the Lancashire area. So if you fancy a true Lancaster Bonfire night and you want something to warm you up while you’re stood outside, then black peas make a great snack!