Every November, the skies erupt with colour, the air smells of smoke, and Britain remembers one of its most infamous plots. But long before the fireworks and “Guys,” the story of Bonfire Night began not in London, but right here in Northamptonshire: a county caught between loyalty and suspicion in the aftermath of treason.
The Plot Thickens
In November 1605, a group of Catholic conspirators plotted to blow up King James I and his Parliament. Their aim was to end Protestant rule and restore a Catholic monarch. The plan was bold, secretive, and nearly successful – until Guy Fawkes was caught beneath the House of Lords with dozens of barrels of gunpowder.
What’s more, much of the planning took place here in Northamptonshire.
The ringleader, Robert Catesby, lived at Ashby St Ledgers, near Daventry. The conspirators met there several times, refining their scheme and recruiting followers.
When the plot was discovered, they fled through Northamptonshire to Holbeche House, where the rebellion ended in blood and gunfire.
Sir Edward Montagu of Boughton
Among the chaos stood Sir Edward Montagu of Boughton House, just outside Kettering.
A respected justice of the peace, MP for the county, and former High Sheriff, Montagu was not about to let our county’s reputation be tarnished by association with treason!
When word of the failed plot reached Northamptonshire, Montagu immediately mustered the county militia. He ordered watchmen, patrols, and public declarations of loyalty to the King. In doing so, he sent a clear message, both to London and to his neighbours: that Northamptonshire stood with the Crown.
It was a shrewd move. At a time when some local families were being questioned for their Catholic connections, Montagu’s actions publicly distanced him from the disloyal minority.
In a way, the bonfires and bell-ringing that followed were acts of both celebration and self-preservation.
From Boughton to the Nation
The earliest (recorded) celebration of the Plot’s failure took place in Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire, on the night of 5 November 1605. Bonfires were lit and church bells rang in thanksgiving for the King’s safety.
But Northamptonshire wasn’t far behind; and thanks to Montagu, it would soon play a pivotal national role.
In early 1606, Montagu took his loyalty a step further. In Parliament, he introduced the “Observance of 5th November Act”, which made the annual thanksgiving official.
Every parish was ordered to hold services, ring bells, and light bonfires each year on 5 November.
That Act, born of both relief and political calculation, is the reason Bonfire Night exists at all.
From Bells to Fireworks
Those first celebrations were solemn affairs: prayers of thanksgiving, the tolling of bells, and simple bonfires.
The fireworks came later, in the late 1600s, and the burning of the “Guy” later still: a tradition that evolved from early anti-Catholic effigies in cities like London and Canterbury.
But the spark that set the whole thing alight, the idea of marking 5 November with fire, noise, and gratitude, began here, in Northamptonshire, under the watchful eye of a man determined to prove his county’s loyalty.
Sparked in Northamptonshire?
We can’t prove that the very first bonfire was lit at Boughton. But we can say that Northamptonshire helped shape what Bonfire Night became.
It was here that Sir Edward Montagu turned a night of local relief into a national tradition, a celebration of survival, loyalty, and the enduring power of a good bonfire.
So next time you toss a log on the fire or watch a rocket burst overhead, remember this: Bonfire Night may have been sparked in Northamptonshire. By one man’s determination to keep both his King and his county safe.
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Sources
Boughton House
Northamptonshire Surprise
Jack Preston 