Guy Fawkes and Herefordshire – GUNPOWDER TREASON AND PLOT

How are Guy Fawkes and Herefordshire connected?  As firework displays and bonfires lit up the county this week, we were curious to find out.  And interestingly, we discovered that here in the borderlands, the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 is more than remote history—it’s really part of the fabric of the county.

A County of Quiet Resistance
In 1605, Herefordshire was in turmoil. Just months before the Gunpowder Plot, the “Whitsun Riot” broke out in Allensmore over an illegal Catholic burial. Over a thousand recusants – Catholics who refused to attend Church of England services – were living  in Herefordshire –  many in the Monnow Valley.
To be Catholic in post-Reformation England meant to be in constant danger  –  risking fines, imprisonment, even execution. However, in the hidden valleys of Herefordshire, Catholic families and their priests found refuge.

The Cwm: Herefordshire’s Secret Seminary
A remote farmhouse – the Cwm at Llanrothal – became one of Britain’s most important Catholic safe houses. Founded as a Jesuit college in 1622, it sheltered priests and trained missionaries until Bishop Croft and other Protestant authorities raided it in 1678, confiscating 150 volumes — these books are still kept in Hereford Cathedral Library
In autumn 1605, Father Robert Jones at the Cwm was implicated in attempts to save Gunpowder Plot conspirators. Had the plot succeeded, Guy Fawkes himself might well have come to the Cwm to seek refuge.  
The Cwm was by no means the only haven for Catholics –  across Herefordshire, secret chapels and priest holes were found, testament to the county’s defiant Catholicism. Even local officials often turned a blind eye: Bishop Croft complained that many Herefordshire justices were too lenient toward Catholics.

It is interesting to remember at this time of year, that the Herefordshire landscape has always hidden secrets beneath its calm beauty. The same qualities that allowed Catholic communities to survive here—quiet persistence over grand gestures—make this county such a haven today. Who knew that Guy Fawkes and Herefordshire were so connected?

Interested in exploring hidden Herefordshire? Hire a White Heron E-Bike and we’ll give you a route to go exploring!