Guy Fawkes was caught in the early hours of 5 November 1605, during a search of the cellars beneath the House of Lords in Westminster.

Quick Scoop

  • Guy Fawkes was discovered guarding barrels of gunpowder late on the night of 4 November, as the search of the Palace of Westminster continued past midnight.
  • He was formally arrested in the very early hours of 5 November 1605, a date now marked in the UK as Guy Fawkes Night or Bonfire Night.

A bit of context

  • Fawkes was part of the Gunpowder Plot, a plan by a group of English Catholics to blow up King James I and Parliament at the State Opening.
  • An anonymous warning letter prompted authorities to search the undercroft, where they found Fawkes with the gunpowder, leading to his immediate capture.

TL;DR: Guy Fawkes was caught in the cellars under the House of Lords in the early hours of 5 November 1605, after a late-night search triggered by an anonymous warning.

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