This Signature Shows What Torture Did To Guy Fawkes
National Archives
Today is Guy Fawkes Day, a day where the U.K. celebrates the foiling of a plot to kill King James I in 1605. The country celebrates this by lighting fireworks and, in a morbid twist, burning an effigy of poor Guy.
It's easy to forget that this celebration has rather grim roots. Guy Fawkes was part of a Catholic plot to kill a Protestant King and his English Lords - and, unfortunately for him, it failed. He was almost certainly tortured severely, before being executed in a brutal manner.
Fawkes was the one guy in the plot unlucky enough to have been discovered late on November 5 with dozens of barrels of gunpowder hidden under wood, after a tip-off to a Catholic politician led to an inspection of the cellars under parliament. He was swiftly taken into custody at the Tower of London and interrogated until he eventually gave up his co-conspirators.
While we'll never know precisely what happened to Fawkes in those eight days, it seems pretty likely it was bad: There is speculation that Fawkes was tortured using a rack during his stay in the Tower of London.
For a visual on the effects of torture, look at the document below. You can see Fawkes' signature, before the interrogation (he signs as Guido Fawkes, a name he had taken on later in life):
Now, contrast that with his signature on a later confession, made after eight days of interrogation. As you can see, Fawkes' signature is a barely legible scrawl:
As the BBC puts it, "his signature on his confession was that of a shattered and broken man, the ill-formed letters telling the story of a someone who was barely able to hold a quill. "
Even once the torture was over, Fawkes still had to meet a grisly end. After his confession, he was hanged, drawn, and quartered, with his remains sent to the four corners of the kingdom - as a warning to future plotters.
- I spent $2,000 for 7 nights in a 179-square-foot room on one of the world's largest cruise ships. Take a look inside my cabin.
- Colon cancer rates are rising in young people. If you have two symptoms you should get a colonoscopy, a GI oncologist says.
- Saudi Arabia wants China to help fund its struggling $500 billion Neom megaproject. Investors may not be too excited.
- Catan adds climate change to the latest edition of the world-famous board game
- Tired of blatant misinformation in the media? This video game can help you and your family fight fake news!
- Tired of blatant misinformation in the media? This video game can help you and your family fight fake news!
- JNK India IPO allotment – How to check allotment, GMP, listing date and more
- Indian Army unveils selfie point at Hombotingla Pass ahead of 25th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas
- JNK India IPO allotment date
- JioCinema New Plans
- Realme Narzo 70 Launched
- Apple Let Loose event
- Elon Musk Apology
- RIL cash flows
- Charlie Munger
- Feedbank IPO allotment
- Tata IPO allotment
- Most generous retirement plans
- Broadcom lays off
- Cibil Score vs Cibil Report
- Birla and Bajaj in top Richest
- Nestle Sept 2023 report
- India Equity Market