If you ask the average Briton who led the Gunpowder Plot, chances are they’ll mutter “Guy Fawkes” while half-heartedly stirring their tea. Fireworks, effigies, and a roaring bonfire dedicated to burning Mr Fawkes have immortalised him as the nation’s favourite terrorist (or anti-hero, depending on how rebellious you’re feeling). But the truth is, Guy Fawkes … Continue reading Forget the Fawkes: Why We Owe the Gunpowder Plot to Robert Catesby
Category: history
The Great Catholic Conspiracy: the 1678 Popish Plot
In the annals of British history, the year 1678 stands out as a time of unparalleled paranoia, where the English public was whipped into a frenzy over a fantastical and entirely fabricated threat: the Popish Plot. This elaborate tale, crafted by the masterful fabricator Titus Oates, involved a fictitious Catholic conspiracy to assassinate King Charles … Continue reading The Great Catholic Conspiracy: the 1678 Popish Plot
To the Land of Dreams I Run
To the land of dreams I run, When the day makes off with the sun. "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." - Matthew 11:28 There comes a time, as the last embers of daylight are swallowed by the abyss of night, when I … Continue reading To the Land of Dreams I Run
Remnants
When the dead are yonder and break not one more heart, they leave us things to ponder: accidental art. Update: 2nd March, 2025. I recall writing this post after reflecting on the slow, relentless erosion of ancient sandstone gravestones in the many churchyards and cemeteries my work led me to. Time and the elements conspired … Continue reading Remnants
The Birthday Present
Tomorrow is my birthday. I am, of course, about 36 - chokes on an unforgivable falsehood and gasps for air like a fish flung onto a riverbank. My mind drifts back to a time when birthdays were less about existential reckoning and more about pure, unadulterated want. There was a toy aeroplane in the window … Continue reading The Birthday Present
Wording 