The Gunpowder Plot has been researched for nearly 400 years. However, we still don't know everything that there is to know about it, and the research is continuing today. And some of this research is happening right here, at the Gunpowder Plot Society!
Following are just a few of the minor and major topics currently under investigation by Society members and colleagues.
- Did Guy Fawkes really marry? Most plot commentators are silent about the issue, but there is a legend that he married and had a son. Dave Herber is heading the task force which is actively trying to establish the truth of this "legend".
- The siege of Holbeche House was the dramatic climax to the Plot. Many authors on the Plot have written about what allegedly happened at Holbeche, but reports are at times conflicting. It seems also that few of these authors seem to have actually been there and seen the place for themselves. Jennie O'Brien, who visited Holbeche recently, says that by studying the archaelogical and forensic evidence which may still be extant at the house, we might be able to get a whole new picture on what happened there.
- The Plotters by and large belonged to Catholic families, and as a result it is often difficult to trace their ancestry because of the sparseness of contemporary official records such as birth and marriage registrations. One of the on-going Gunpowder Plot Society projects is continual research into the genealogies of these families. Specific genealogy-related queries can be sent to Douglas Burbury, the GPS genealogy coordinator.
- Thomas Bates was a member of the group of principal plotters, but he was a servant and of the yeoman class, whereas the other plotters were gentlemen or esquires. As a result, known historical records don't tell us a great deal about Bates or his family. Jim Bates in Australia has been trying to find out more about Thomas, and even hopes one day to be able to establish a family link.
- In addition, we often get people asking what books they should read in order to get an understanding of the Gunpowder Plot. Another of our long-term projects is to make available evaluations and critiques of the research on the Plot which has been published to date.
Naturally, we'd love to hear from anyone else who is doing research that might be related in any way to the topic of the Gunpowder Plot. Send us a message at [email protected] to let us know!
