Among the principal band of thirteen Gunpowder Plotters, we find a wide range of differing personalities: for example, there is the dashing, flamboyant Robert Catesby; the solid, trustworthy Thomas Wintour; the mercurial, somewhat unpredictable Thomas Percy; the bellicose John Wright; and the supposedly-villainous but nevertheless faithful and brave Guy Fawkes, the one plotter who has captured the greatest portion of public imagination of anyone involved in the Plot itself.
The other members of this group added their own distinctive flavours to the enterprise as a whole. So what was it that drew such a crew together? Certainly one aspect of this was religion: all of the principal plotters were either from solid Catholic backgrounds, or had converted to the "Romish" religion at some point in their lives. Another significant factor was that -- except for Sir Everard Digby -- the principal plotters were all related to each other, or had grown up together.
This section of the Gunpowder Plot Society Web Site presents information on each of the principal plotters, and on others who played a prominent role in the events of the Gunpowder Plot itself and those leading up to it. It also includes an interlinked family database showing the relationships between the plotters and other families of the period.
A number of people doing their own family history research have contacted the Gunpowder Plot Society with information on family legends that claim they are descended from one or other of the Gunpowder Plotters. By far the most popular candidates for such ancestors are Thomas Wintour and Guy Fawkes. We at the Society are interested in hearing about such legends, and in working with family historians to establish whether there is any truth to such legends. If your family can claim descent from a Gunpowder Plotter -- or if you think that it might be a possibility, then contact us at [email protected] and tell us about it!
