Rye – ‘The Fifth’
Remember, Remember the Fifth of November
The Gunpowder Treason and Plot
There is no reason why gunpowder treason should ever be forgot.
A stick ands a stake, for George’s sake,
One for Peter, two for Paul,
If you don’t give us one, We’ll steal ‘em all.
So oller boys, oller boys, make the bells ring
Blow up the Sluice and
God Save the King!
Bonfire started as a direct result of the activities of a group of conspirators who sought to overthrow the Protestant King James 1st and establish a Catholic monarchy on the English throne. These conspirators were led by Catsby and were almost successful in their attempt to blow up King and Parliament on November 5th 1605 with 36 barrels of gunpowder stored in the cellar of the House of Commons. One of the conspirators, Guy Fawkes, was caught in the act and King and Parliament were saved.
King James decreed that his lucky escape should be celebrated in perpetuity. The commonest form of celebration in those days was to light bonfires and set off fireworks. It happened for virtually any celebration and this was just one of many fire festivals held during Stuart times.
After the English Civil War 1647 saw the establishment of the Commonwealth under Oliver Cromwell as Lord Protector. One of the edicts of his government was that public holidays of all kinds should cease as they were a waste of resources and people should be working rather than enjoying themselves. Even Christmas was abolished. The one exception was November 5th, as this was a celebration of deliverance from a potential Catholic monarch, a celebration that the Protestant Cromwell felt important as the only celebration of the year, it became popular and grew to become the large event we still see today. When most other popular holidays and customs were restored by Charles the Second November 5th continued as one of them. It was a popular celebration as it could be used for any occasion as the political climate changed. It could be pro Monarch, pro Parliament or anything else that seemed to fit. Bonfire always was and still is broadly political and patriotic. Though it has always been a custom of the people and an expression of their will, rather than the particular rulers of the time.
Annually Bonfires were lit across England on November 5th, these were no organised displays, but local parties. These celebrations continued until the French Revolution of 1789.
The revolution in France sent a shudder through British Aristocracy. The government reacted by suppressing any public gatherings for fear they would get out of hand The bonfire celebrations with their political undercurrents, which although patriotic were not necessarily in favour of any government, were considered to be particularly likely to turn into anti-government riots. The period following the French wars led to a large military regime being established and soldiers became commonplace across England. When not fighting the French they were used to maintain “public order”. This time was also the beginning of the industrial revolution, people became employed in factories and towns, the rural communities were broken.
This all led to the decline of the celebrations across most of the country. The people of the southern counties from Sussex to Devon organised themselves into societies to continue the custom. Smuggler costumes and black faces as disguise were used for the first time, these were to prevent being recognised by the authorities. Effigy burning of unpopular people and people opposed to bonfires became common.
At this time torch lit processions and style of celebration we see today were established. The first Bonfire Society was established in 1847 in Lewes in response to the Riot Act being read in the town.
The late nineteenth century saw a concerted effort to suppress Bonfires across England, the banning of fires on the street in 1905 and the banning of fireworks on the streets in 1909 more or less stopped the custom. It survives in Sussex because of the organised Societies.
The Sussex Bonfire Societies now celebrate every weekend from the end of August to the end of November, thus allowing us to attend each others celebration.
Long may Bonfire continue!