最初,反叛者可以租到一間與老上議院(House of Lords,國會開幕典禮將在那裡開幕)相鄰房子的地下室,並準備挖出一個通向上議院地下室的地道。但後來他們卻租到了上議院地下室。
到了1605年3月,他們已經在上議院地下室內以冬季燃料為隱蔽裝滿了36桶(約2.5噸)火藥。由於擔心天主教上議員也被炸死,某人(可能是弗朗西斯·特瑞山姆)向著名的天主教蒙特伊格上議員(Lord Monteagle)秘密通氣。上議員於10月26日收到那封信。反叛者在第二天得知了那封信的訊息,但在福克斯檢查過地下室發現原封未動之後,堅決地將他們的計畫進行下去。然而與此同時,蒙特伊格卻將那封信交給了國務卿(Secretary of State)羅伯特·塞西爾(Robert Cecil)。
得知告密訊息後,一位名叫托馬斯·奈維特(Thomas Knyvet)的治安官員(justice of the peace)於11月5日晨突襲了地下室。發現反叛者蓋伊·福克斯藏在國會大廈地下室內,他於是下令搜查整個地區。結果當局發現了火藥桶並將蓋伊·福克斯拘捕。蓋伊·福克斯在刑架上被嚴刑拷打之後招供,並招出其他反叛者的名字。為避免違反英格蘭法律,國王為此簽署了一項允許拷打的特殊命令。蓋茨比在拒捕時被絞殺,而其他反叛者很快被逮捕,並在審訊過程中被執行死刑或殺死。
在英格蘭,每年都有一個分外熱鬧的夜晚:夜空中,煙花飛舞;大地上,篝火熊熊。人們在乾什麼呢?原來,他們在歡度“蓋伊·福克斯之夜”。 人們把每年11月5日的夜晚稱為“蓋伊·福克斯之夜”或者“篝火之夜”。那天晚上,英國舉國同慶。人們點燃篝火,把英國叛國者蓋伊·福克斯的人物模型扔到火中付之一炬。除此之外,煙花表演也是那晚不可缺少的,許多地方政府會組織盛大的煙花表演。 慶祝“篝火之夜”的歷史傳統與1605年的一個企圖炸毀議會、弒君的陰謀有關。1605年的一天,蓋伊·福克斯攜帶大量火藥潛入到倫敦議會大廈下面的一個房間裡,企圖炸毀議會。 他被迅速逮捕,然後受到審判,最終判了死刑。在隨後幾個月的時間裡,與“火藥陰謀”有牽連的另外一些人也相繼落網,最終也被處決。 為什麼福克斯及其同夥會策劃這場陰謀呢?因為他們對國家的一項法令不滿,因為法令“剝奪”了他們的宗教信仰。當時,這些人是天主教徒,而英國國王詹姆士一世和大多數英國人都是強烈反對天主教的新教徒。 陰謀被挫敗了,國王安然無恙,叛國者落網了。人們燃起篝火,慶祝勝利。從此以後,英國就形成了慶祝“篝火之夜”的傳統。 IN England one night a year comes alive as colourful fireworks explode in the night sky and smoke from giant bonfires floats across the land. All the noise and fires are made to remember the country's greatest traitor, named Guy Fawkes. It is called Guy Fawkes Night or Bonfire Night and is held on November 5. Across the country parties are held where people light big fires. Often they throw models of Guy Fawkes on to the fire. Fireworks are also an important part of the evening, with many local government holding big displays. This tradition was started after an attempt was made to blow up Parliament and murder the king in 1605. Guy Fawkes was found in a room under the Houses of Parliament in London with a large amount of gunpowder. He was immediately arrested and later tried in court and killed. Over a period of months other people in the "gunpowder plot" were discovered and killed too. Fawkes and his friends were very angry because of a law that said they could not follow their religion. They were Catholic at a time when the king, James I, and most people in England were Protestant and violently opposed to them. On the night that people found out the king had been saved and the traitor caught, they lit fires in celebration. This has become a tradition continued to this day.