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Guy Fawkes or A Complete History Of The Gunpowder Treason, A.D. 1605
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66 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 1, 2008
52 people are currently reading
292 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
June 3, 2020
The entire book is an angry rant against the Roman Catholic Church. The history of the Gunpowder Plot is accurate if you go by the government version. Though the final chapter goes off the rails. It's fine when Protestants dethrone a king due to his religious beliefs, and no blowing up buildings, but heaven forbid we grant the conspirators the same allowance of fighting for religious liberty or having any motive that doesn't sound evil. James II flirts with Catholicism, over throw him because he's a threat to liberty. 13 men who legally weren't supposed to travel more than 5 miles from their homes, couldn't legally attend their own services, and paid a 20 pounds fine per month and their very religious beliefs practically synonymous with Treason, and he says the laws aren't harsh and no justification for the conspirators to be angry and desperate enough to commit treason. That's not even all the restrictions the Recusancy Laws put on Catholics. He doesn't even really talk about these laws just says they're fair and not harsh because of how many times Catholics committed treason against Queen Elizabeth while leaving out any times Walshingham and Cecil framed them for it. The author is also shocked by any Protestants who don't agree with him. I'm Presbyterian. This author would be flabbergasted that I don't blame the Pope or the Jesuits or their teachings for the Gunpowder Plot. This book leaves out any evidence or sweeps away any potential different opinion that goes against his supposed logic and evidence with angry verbiage and hysterics. He has an axe to grind and that's about it.
November 3, 2023
This is an excellent read and if you are interested in history & how MI6 used Guy Fawkes and another bad "old boy" from St Peter’s School York, read on!
Best see the news at TheBurlingtonFiles website for 5 November 2022 about Guy Fawkes & MI6 and then read about me, Bill Fairclough (MI6 codename JJ) aka Edward Burlington in the spy thriller Beyond Enkription in The Burlington Files series of fact based spy novels. See https://theburlingtonfiles.org/news_2....
Beyond Enkription is the first of six stand-alone autobiographical spy novels in The Burlington Files series based on my life and experiences while working as an agent for MI6, the CIA et al for circa 50 years (see https://lnkd.in/gA6E6WR).
To really get the most out of reading Beyond Enkription I suggest you first browse through my bio on TheBurlingtonFiles website and then read three brief news articles published on TheBurlingtonFiles website. One is about Bill Fairclough (August 2023), characters' identities (September 2021) and Pemberton's People (October 2022). What is amazing is that these articles were only published many years after Beyond Enkription itself was. You’ll soon be immersed in a whole new world!
Beyond Enkription is an intriguing unadulterated factual thriller and a great read as long as you don’t expect John le Carré’s delicate diction, sophisticated syntax and placid plots. If you do ... just carry on reading le Carré. After all, I am neither an author nor spy by profession. I was a mere accountant.
In fact, Colonel Alan Brooke Pemberton CVO MBE, initially my handler and later my colleague, once said the best spies don’t know they have been recruited. He was right and in many ways Beyond Enkription is conceptually about just that which is why an American critic rated it as a five star read “being up there with My Silent War by Kim Philby and No Other Choice by George Blake”.
Best see the news at TheBurlingtonFiles website for 5 November 2022 about Guy Fawkes & MI6 and then read about me, Bill Fairclough (MI6 codename JJ) aka Edward Burlington in the spy thriller Beyond Enkription in The Burlington Files series of fact based spy novels. See https://theburlingtonfiles.org/news_2....
Beyond Enkription is the first of six stand-alone autobiographical spy novels in The Burlington Files series based on my life and experiences while working as an agent for MI6, the CIA et al for circa 50 years (see https://lnkd.in/gA6E6WR).
To really get the most out of reading Beyond Enkription I suggest you first browse through my bio on TheBurlingtonFiles website and then read three brief news articles published on TheBurlingtonFiles website. One is about Bill Fairclough (August 2023), characters' identities (September 2021) and Pemberton's People (October 2022). What is amazing is that these articles were only published many years after Beyond Enkription itself was. You’ll soon be immersed in a whole new world!
Beyond Enkription is an intriguing unadulterated factual thriller and a great read as long as you don’t expect John le Carré’s delicate diction, sophisticated syntax and placid plots. If you do ... just carry on reading le Carré. After all, I am neither an author nor spy by profession. I was a mere accountant.
In fact, Colonel Alan Brooke Pemberton CVO MBE, initially my handler and later my colleague, once said the best spies don’t know they have been recruited. He was right and in many ways Beyond Enkription is conceptually about just that which is why an American critic rated it as a five star read “being up there with My Silent War by Kim Philby and No Other Choice by George Blake”.
February 21, 2018
Well, I now know more than I did...
August 19, 2025
La obra ofrece una perspectiva PARCIAL y poco objetiva sobre los hechos pero aún así, el leer esos pasajes tan estruendosos fue una delicia.
January 6, 2014
"Guy Fawkes: Or, A Complete History of the Gunpowder Treason, A.D. 1605" was written in 1839 by the Rev. Thomas Lathbury of the Episcopalian Church (the Church of England). In reading this book--I downloaded the free Kindle version created by Public Domain Books--one has to keep the writer's worldview in mind, otherwise it may cause you to stop reading.
That said, the history of the Gunpowder Treason (which, only takes up about 1/3 of the book--fair warning for the reader) is good. Dates and the order of events are fairly detailed and can be supposed to be accurate. There is very little biographical information on the principle players other than their actions from the time right before they formed the plot to the time they were executed.
Most of the information from his book, Lathbury tells us, comes from papers uncovered in his time from the British archives detailing the confessions and trials of the accused (and admitted) plotters.
Quite a bit of the book, however, is focused--sometimes vitriolically--at the Roman Catholic Church and the Pope. Lathbury basically places the entire plot at the feet of the Popes who reigned over the Catholic Church in the years leading up to 1605. Lathbury himself is a staunch anti-Catholic, and he does nothing to hide his bias.
If you are looking for more detailed, in-depth information about the Gunpowder Treason, the Fifth of November, and Guy Fawkes. It is, like all books and all authors, a product of its time. It has its place (they are over 150 years closer to the event than we are today, and we can get a slightly better sense of the mentality of the time) and I did learn quite a few things about the Treason and its significant players. However, I would not recommend this book, free though it is.
That said, the history of the Gunpowder Treason (which, only takes up about 1/3 of the book--fair warning for the reader) is good. Dates and the order of events are fairly detailed and can be supposed to be accurate. There is very little biographical information on the principle players other than their actions from the time right before they formed the plot to the time they were executed.
Most of the information from his book, Lathbury tells us, comes from papers uncovered in his time from the British archives detailing the confessions and trials of the accused (and admitted) plotters.
Quite a bit of the book, however, is focused--sometimes vitriolically--at the Roman Catholic Church and the Pope. Lathbury basically places the entire plot at the feet of the Popes who reigned over the Catholic Church in the years leading up to 1605. Lathbury himself is a staunch anti-Catholic, and he does nothing to hide his bias.
If you are looking for more detailed, in-depth information about the Gunpowder Treason, the Fifth of November, and Guy Fawkes. It is, like all books and all authors, a product of its time. It has its place (they are over 150 years closer to the event than we are today, and we can get a slightly better sense of the mentality of the time) and I did learn quite a few things about the Treason and its significant players. However, I would not recommend this book, free though it is.
February 3, 2012
Though I didn't know that the Gunpowder Treason was a religious thing, and though I learned a few things about this plot, the author loses himself in condemning the Roman Church, with papists this and popery that. It's not only distracting: it takes up half of the book! And about the title: we don't get to learn who this man really was, so beware. To be fair, so little is known about him beyond his involvement in this plot but the title is nonetheless misleading. If you can ignore Lathbury's evident hatred towards the Catholic Church in Rome and his rants about the evils of anyone adhering to that faith, you can learn a few interesting things about the history of England.
Read
March 21, 2013I read this because I wanted to understand why a group of hacktivists would use a Guy Fawkes mask as their symbol or icon. This book did not answer that question, or any others really. Only this: Spoiler alert, the Gunpowder Treason was all about religion. The Roman Catholic Church did not want a Protestant on the English throne. So really, this book could have been one paragraph and been done with it. I do not recommend any one bother reading it, I feel sure there are probably much better books on the subject.
April 10, 2015
If you liked "V is for Vendetta"
This is a must read for anyone who is interested in what the 5th of November represents to the Roman Catholic Church in England. It really sets the stage for the movie and understanding what really entailed those many centuries ago.
I am pleased to have read it and understand now the meaning of the Gunpowder Treason.
This is a must read for anyone who is interested in what the 5th of November represents to the Roman Catholic Church in England. It really sets the stage for the movie and understanding what really entailed those many centuries ago.
I am pleased to have read it and understand now the meaning of the Gunpowder Treason.
November 8, 2016
It's Bonfire Night and I was looking for a last-minute read about Guy Fawkes; this was the only thing I could find in the e-library. It's not very interesting and I skim-read most of it, especially the second half, which is just basically a rant by the author. I'll try something else next year.
August 11, 2017
Fascinating study into English history and the darkest side of Papal politics, to the point of trying to kill the reigning monarch for being Protestant! For me, it was the the basis for the Guy Fawkes story as they tried mass murder to guide the country back to the Popery
July 31, 2013
If you've seen V for Vendetta then you will remember the references to Guy Fawkes. The movie does not even come close to representing Guy Fawkes' story.
November 19, 2013
Glad I read this . . . now that I know more about the man behind that mask I really wonder if the people who wear it know what Fawkes was really about.
July 12, 2014
Tough to read, but a lot to learn here.
November 5, 2014
This book had a lot of great info! I for sure learned a few things from this book!
February 11, 2015
Great read
Easy read with ample history for the gunpowder treason. Worth the price of admission if you enjoy old English literature.
Easy read with ample history for the gunpowder treason. Worth the price of admission if you enjoy old English literature.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews