Bonfire Night in Penistone

Our Bonfire Night Tradition
Remember remember the fifth of November
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason why gunpowder, treason
Should ever be forgot.

... So the saying goes, referring to Guido 'Guy' Fawkes' plot to destroy parliament and all within it, using more than thirty barrels of gunpowder. Following the outrage, the Observance of 5th November Act 1605 was drafted and introduced by Edward Montagu and enacted in January 1606. It was repealed much later, in 1859. You can read it at Google Books. It is a very long document, summarised at Wikipedia.

The strong English tradition of Bonfire Night came from the foiling of this plot. On its 400th Anniversary in 2005, some people tried to rename it "Our five-eleven" from the 5/11/1605 date but it never caught on as a name. Its original name was 'Gunpowder Treason Day'. A Wikipedia entry says: 'Towards the end of the 18th century, reports appear of children begging for money with effigies of Guy Fawkes ... (etc.)' The word 'bonfire' comes from bone fire. An effigy of Guy Fawkes is traditionally burnt on top of the bonfire but this wasn't always the case. The original burned effigy was that of the Pope. We are not quite so serious about it in modern times and might add the occasional hate-figure of the moment, more as an emusement than a serious act. Mrs Thatcher was a popular one for a time but others have come and gone.

Every 5th November (or Saturday closest to it), the skies throughout England come alive with smoke from roaring fires, flashes of firework displays and loud crackles and bangs. If you could stand in a high place you would see the scattered glow of fires in every city, town and village. At home, people often have small firework parties with neighbours and friends. They will eat hot jacket potatoes with butter, toffee apples and (in Yorkshire) slices of Parkin, which is a cake made of treacle and oats. Best eaten with cheese, I would say.

Until a decade or so ago, small groups of young children used to demand 'Penny for the Guy?' from passers-by. They usually pushed an old pram around (now called a baby buggy) with a Guy Fawkes effigy seated in granddad's coat. This was to raise a few pennies for fireworks and sweets. That's in the days when a few pennies was enough to do the buying. Hallowe'en has crossed the pond now and obliterated our old custom. That is probably because the dates are close together, the fear of 'stranger danger' and that parents buy the fireworks now. We always had bundles of bangers in our pockets when I was a young 'un but it is now illegal for anyone under 18 to buy fireworks in the UK.

It's rather naff to call it Fireworks Night, as some do, as that ignores the very old bonfire tradition. It's like calling Christmas 'Wintertide' or just calling Penistone's grand medieval church 'St John's'. In these increasingly regulated times, some local councils require registration before a public bonfire can be arranged. All of my mates had bonfires in their gardens when we were kids and local lads would form raiding parties to nick wood from other fires. Sometimes they had to post a guard overnight if it was a good one.

In these safety-conscious (compensation culture) days, there are far fewer garden bonfires and Guy's effigy is not seen quite as often. All of the really fun fireworks like Catherine wheels and jumping jacks were banned many years ago and kids don't drop lit bangers in dustbins any more. That used to be great fun. That and putting burning pieces of paper up drainpipes to make 'bull roarers'. We even used to put mains gas in soap bubbles and throw matches at them.

A Typical Bonfire Night in Penistone
We always have a great bonfire and fireworks display in Penistone and there is always a good turnout on what is often a cold November night on the exposed Showground field. These days it is organised by Penistone Round Table society and overseen by local firemen, who can get away with a bit of fire-raising on this one night each year. Their own torches are always very dim so I smugly stand in the crowd with a powerful LED one, to help them find their matches. The event typically opens around 6.45pm with the bonfire being lit at 7pm. The pyrotechnics might be around 7:30pm after the fire is well under way.

Traditional parkin (treacle oatcake), treacle toffee, toffee apples and other refreshments are usually available on the field and will have been on sale at the Co-op. Elsewhere, traders sell coloured lights and luminous necklaces for the nippers. There is also music through a tannoy and these days it is provided by the local radio station Penistone FM. The music is often well suited to the occasion. 'War of the Worlds' was a hoot one year, when low cloud reflected coloured flashes from many miles distant, just like an invasion of Martians. 'Fire Raiser' was another good one. It would be thrilling to fly over the UK on Bonfire Night.

Penistone always has a good fireworks display and it must cost a fortune. It is fun to hear the crowd 'oooh' and 'aaaah' at the fireworks but it soon becomes a self-parody and dissolves into giggles. Small children weave patterns and words with sparklers and coloured LED widgets. Then the gunpowder smells and flashes and bangs from distant bonfire gatherings add to the atmosphere. Tesco supermarket paid for fireworks when they first came to Penistone in 2010 but it did not continue.

How it Went in 2011
Penistone Bonfire night appears to be gathering in strength. The crowd was so big in 2011 that the firework display was delayed quarter of an hour later to give time for people to get on to the Showground. Al Wilson of Penistone Round Table organised a special Guy Fawkes competition this year and that led to there being several Guys stacked up on the fire. Penistone Ladies' Circle is an offshoot from the Round Table and they did a great job of arranging the food and refreshments this year. A youth group set up by an ex-Tabler is KOPs ('Kids of Penistone') and their help with the novelties was invaluable. Penistone Fm produced background music and kept up with events on the field. (My thanks to Al Wilson for supplying a few details here.)

Why Have Bonfire Night?
Here's my spin on the history, as gleaned from the 'Famous Yorkshiremen' book in Penistone Library. It was a time of serious oppression to Roman Catholics. Guido 'Guy' Fawkes was a Catholic Yorkshireman who had reached breaking point. He plotted with friends to blow up and devastate parliament when King James I and other oppressors would be in session. But as they developed the plot, more people had to be let in on the secret.

News leaked out and the authorities heard about it through a hastily delivered warning letter, throwing them into a state of utter panic. After a thorough search, Guy was arrested as he guarded the cellar with the gunpowder barrels. He stayed at his post to the end, in spite of warnings that arrest was imminent.

The plan had become common knowledge. Arrested and expecting to be tortured, he was resigned to his fate. He was tortured on the rack but refused to name the others until it was clear that they were already discovered. Remaining conspirators were rounded up and Guy was hung after about three weeks of torture. Their heads were then put on poles as a warning to the people. Ah, the good old days.

So our annual bonfire ceremony commemorates the rescuing of parliament from what would now be called a terrorist attack by religious extremists. It has certainly stood the test of time, even if the Health & Safety gestapo try to stamp it out every year.