©National Archives

Confession of Guy Fawkes, 17 November 1605 This is the second of two confessions made by Guy Fawkes about his involvement in the Gunpowder Plot. Fawkes' signature is well defined and clearly legible. This is in marked contrast to his first confession, taken eight days before, which was evidently signed with a very weak and unsteady hand suggesting the use of torture.

Fawkes' second confession was a fuller version of the first, embellished for dramatic effect. In it he stated that the conspirators had decided to tunnel under the House of Lords. A house was purchased next to Parliament and work began on 11 December 1604. When this proved more difficult than anticipated, a nearby cellar was rented instead and 20 barrels of gunpowder hidden inside.

By the end of October 1605 the substance of the plot had been discovered by the authorities. Fawkes himself was apprehended on 4 November. He was tried before a special commission on 27 January 1606 and executed on 31 January.

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