Francis Tresham - Revealed

Revealed

The secretary of state was aware already of certain stirrings even before he received Monteagle's letter, but he did not yet know the exact nature of the plot or who was involved. He had therefore elected to watch and see what would happen. When the letter was shown to the king on Friday 1 November, James felt that it hinted at "some strategem of fire and powder", perhaps an explosion exceeding in violence the one that killed his father, Lord Darnley in 1567. The following day members of the Privy Council visited the king to inform him that a search would be made of the Houses of Parliament, "both above and below". Meanwhile Tresham again warned Catesby and Wintour to abandon the scheme, to no avail. Fellow plotter Thomas Percy said he was ready to "abide the uttermost trial", and subsequently on 4 November Catesby and several others left London for the Midlands to prepare for the planned uprising.

Fawkes was discovered guarding the explosives shortly after midnight on 5 November 1605, and was immediately arrested. Calling himself John Johnson, he was at first interrogated by members of the King's Privy Chamber, but on 6 November the king ordered that "John Johnson" be tortured. His defiance was broken at some point on 7 November, when he revealed his true identity. On 8 November he began to name some of those with whom he was associated, but Tresham was not identified until the following day, and was attributed with only a minor role. On hearing the news that Fawkes had been captured those plotters still in London had fled for the Midlands but Tresham had stayed in the city, where he was arrested on 12 November. He was transferred to the Tower three days later. Catesby and several other plotters were killed on 8 November, during an armed siege at Holbeche House in Staffordshire.