5 Things You Probably Didn't Know About The Gunpowder Plot
1. It Could Have Been A Set-up
Sceptics of Fawkes' guilt have always wondered about the circumstances of the plot and why it panned out the way it did. This leads some theorists to believe that the plot was a set-up, aimed at aggravating anti-Catholic beliefs amongst the British population.
The person who is frequently linked to setting it up is Robert Cecil, the Secretary of State for King James I's government. Cecil was notoriously anti-Catholic and may even have had links with the plot's leader, Robert Catesby. Catesby himself may have been a secret Protestant who was used to round up the anti-Crown extremists into one plot so they were easy to prosecute.
Although there is no physical remaining evidence of this happening, there is speculation and a few indications that show Cecil and Catesby met on multiple occasions in the months leading up to the Gunpowder Plot. Robert Cecil was also one of the Parliamentary links used by Thomas Percy to get to the front of the line for the House of Lords cellar space.
Further evidence that supports this comes from the Holbeche House shooting. The two casualties of the shooting were Robert Catesby and Thomas Percy, conveniently the only two members of the plot who had links with Cecil and could have testified against him in court.
Finally, one last look at the Essex Rebellion shows us that none other than Robert Cecil himself was a chief target of the revolt, a revolt which saw Robert Catesby inexplicably avoid hard charges for treason. Perhaps Cecil let Catesby get away with it so he could utilise him for bigger things in future?