Robert Catesby formulated a plan to blow up the King and the House of Lords at the next Opening of Parliament.
They would then seize the young Prince Charles and the Princess Elizabeth and raise a general revolt to return Catholicism to the land.
The conspirators had only to wait for the day of the State Opening of Parliament on November 5th 1605.
On the evening of the 26th October Lord Monteagle received an anonymous letter.
"My lord out of the love i beare to some of youere frends i have a caer of youer preseruacion therfor i would advyse yowe as yowe tender youer lyf to devys some excuse to shift of youer attendance at this parleament for god and man hath concurred to punishe the wickednes of this tyme and think not slightlye of this advertisment but retyre youre self into youre contri wheare yowe may expect the event in safti for thowghe theare be no appearance of anni stir yet i saye they shall receyve a terrible blowe this parleament and yet they shall not seie who hurts them this cowncel is not to be contemned because it may do yowe good and can do yowe no harme for the dangere is passed as soon as yowe have burnt the letter and i hope god will give yowe the grace to mak good use of it to whose holy proteccion i comend yowe."
Lord Monteagle immediately showed the letter to Robert Cecil, the Earl Salisbury of and Secretary of State.
The vaults beneath the Lords was searched on the 4th November.
Ambrose Rokewood
His task was to take the news of the firing of the gunpowder to Catesby at Dunchurch He was one of the last of the conspirators to flee London, remaining behind to gather information until approximately 11am on the 5th November At Holbeache he was slightly injured by the accidental firing of gunpowder He was executed on January 31, 1606 in Old Palace Yard at Westminster | Christopher Wright
Christopher Wright was shot dead at Holbeache House on November 8th 1605 Wright’s link with Monteagle has led to some believing that he was the betrayer of the others and was shot to keep him silent | Daniel Bate
He led the authorities to the courtyard behind the house where Littleton and Wintour were found attempting to flee into the woods | Edmund Whitelocke
He was suspected of taking part in the Earl of Essex's rebellion He was imprisoned in the Tower of London for his involvement in the Plot although he was most probably innocent | Sir Everard Digby
His involvement was thought to be purely of a fiscal nature He was the only plotter to plead guilty 30 January 1606, St. Paul's Churchyard, London | Francis Tresham
He was the last of the conspirators to be initiated into the Gunpowder Plot Evidence now points to him being the betrayer of the plot with the famous letter to Lord Monteagle He died in prison | Guy Fawkes
His task was the firing the powder His orders were to embark for Flanders as soon as the powder was fired to spread the news of the explosion Committed Suicide on 31st January 1606, Old Palace Yard, Westminster | Henry Garnet
His crime was to be the confessor of several members of the Gunpowder Plot His opposition to the plot did not save him from being executed on 3 May 1606 at St Paul's | Humphrey Littleton
He bribed one of his tenants near Rowley Regis to hide Stephen and Robert for a while He also acted as an intermediary between the fugitives and Father Oldcorne during this time Eventually the fugitives came to Hagley House and were sheltered by Humphrey directly He tried to bargain for his life with the authorities by revealing the hiding place of the Jesuits Father Edward Oldcorne and Father Henry Garnet Executed on 7 April 1606 at Red Hill, Worcester | John Fynwood
Reported the presence of Littleton and Wintour | John Gerard
Became suspicious of the activities of Digby Once the Plot was discovered, a proclamation was issued against him he wrote an open letter protesting his innocence and refuting the charges allegedly made against them by Thomas Bates Escaped to mainland Europe dressed in livery in the entourage of the Ambassadors of Flanders and Spain Died on 27th July 1637 in Rome | John Grant
He knew a number of the other plotters from their involvement in the Essex Rebellion His manor of Norbrook was ideal for storing the weapons required for a rebellion He was blinded and received severe facial burns during an accident at Holbeach House Hung, drawn and quartered on 30 January 1606, St. Paul's Churchyard His estates were forfeited after his execution, but they were reclaimed in 1623 by his son | John Wintour
He joined up with the group and accompanied them on the journey which led to Holbeache House He left Holbeache with his manservant Thomas Edgin, as he no longer trusted Catesby and the other leaders of the Plot Hung, drawn and quartered on 7th April 1606 at Redhill, Worcester His body was not put up for public display but allowed to be buried in the chancel of the church at Huddington Court | John Wright
Took part in the failed rebellion by the Earl of Essex He was given the task of officially telling Guy Fawkes of the conspirators' intentions to blow up the Houses of Parliament His official position in the conspiracy is somewhat unclear Mortally wounded at Holbeache House on November 8th 1605 | Oswald Tesimond
It is a near-certainty that the actual plot was divulged by Catesby informed his Jesuit superior Henry Garnet during confession His arrest warrant was sworn out on 15 January 1606 He then sailed to Calais among a cargo of dead pigs by passing as the owner of the load He died in Naples on 23rd August 1636 | Robert Catesby
Shot dead at Holbeache House on November 8th 1605 | Robert Keyes
He was in favour of warning the Catholic lords, particularly his employer Lord Mordaunt He was entrusted with guarding the explosives at Catesby's house in Lambeth Hung, drawn and quartered on 31 January 1606 in the Old Palace Yard in Westminster | Robert Wintour
His main contribution was a fiscal one Also responsible for collecting weapons and prepare horses for use in the uprising which was expected to occur Escaped from Holbeache House and hid out at Hagley Park, which was occupied at the time by Humphrey Littleton Hung, drawn and quartered on 30th January 1606, St. Paul's Churchyard, London | Stephen Littleton
Was not considered to be suitable for the principal engineering of the plot He was among those who received communion at the hands of Father Hammond alias Hart at Huddington Court Executed in 1606 at Stafford for giving assistance to the conspirators and joining them in open rebellion | Thomas Bates
He could perform many activities, such as driving around wagons, without attracting suspicion Hung, drawn and quartered on 30th January1606 | Thomas Habington
Although Habington had no part in the Plot, he was arrested for concealing traitors Garnet, Oldcorne and two lay brothers, including Owen were found at Hindlip Later released owing to the intercession of William Parker (Lord Monteagle) After his release he was forbidden to leave Worcestershire Died on 8th October 1647 at Hindlip House, Worcestershire | Thomas Percy
He was killed instantly by a single shot from the musket of John Streete at Holbeache House on November 8th 1605 | Thomas WintourHe had asked King Philip III of Spain to support a Catholic uprising in England in 1603 He was the inside man, as his brother was in Parliament Hung, drawn and quartered on 31st January 1606, Old Palace Yard, Westminster | William Parker
Catholic MP Recipient of the warning letter Brother-in-law of Francis Tresham Believed by some to have been a government spy | Sir William Stanley
There is no direct evidence to connect him with complicity in the Gunpowder Plot On 30th January 1606, Sir Robert Cecil, the Secretary of State, exonerated him from the charge It has been theorised that he was prepared to offer information in order to secure his own pardon from the Crown He spent much of his latter years with the English Carthusians in Ostend, having several times sought in vain to return to England Died on 3rd March 1630 in Ghent | Father Edward Oldcorne
| Mr Thomas Habington
| Perkes
Executed on 7 April 1606 at Red Hill, Worcester | Ralph Astley
|
It has been suggested that Cecil was aware of the plot and even working with Lord Monteagle.
This would enable him to instigate a new purge against British Catholics and sway King James I to become a Protestant monarch.