Editing Gunpowder Plot (section)

===Further recruitment===
The adjournment of Parliament gave the conspirators, they thought, until February 1605 to finalise their plans. On 9 June 1604, Percy's patron, the Earl of Northumberland, appointed him to the [[Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms|Band of Gentlemen Pensioners]], a [[cavalry|mounted troop]] of 50&nbsp;bodyguards to the King. This role gave Percy reason to seek a base in London, and a small property near the Prince's Chamber owned by Henry Ferrers, a tenant of John Whynniard, was chosen. Percy arranged for the use of the house through Northumberland's agents, [[Dudley Carleton, 1st Viscount Dorchester|Dudley Carleton]] and [[John Hippisley (Parliamentarian)|John Hippisley]]. Fawkes, using the pseudonym "John Johnson", took charge of the building, posing as Percy's servant.<ref>{{Harvnb|Northcote Parkinson|1976|p=52}}</ref>

The building was occupied by Scottish commissioners appointed by the King to consider his plans for the unification of England and Scotland, so the plotters hired Catesby's lodgings in Lambeth, on the opposite bank of the Thames, from where their stored gunpowder and other supplies could be conveniently rowed across each night.<ref>{{Harvnb|Haynes|2005|pp=54–55}}</ref> Meanwhile, King James I continued with his policies against the Catholics, and Parliament pushed through anti-Catholic legislation, until its adjournment on 7 July.<ref>{{Harvnb|Fraser|2005|pp=122–124}}</ref>

[[File:John rocque house of lords gunpowder plot cropped.jpg|right|thumb|250px|alt=The medieval House of Lords was part of a complex of buildings alongside the north bank of the River Thames, in London. The building which the plotters planned to destroy was at the southern end of the complex of Parliamentary buildings, alongside a minor alley that led to a staircase known as Parliament Stairs.|The House of Lords (highlighted in red) on [[John Rocque's Map of London, 1746|John Rocque's 1746 map of London]], within the [[Palace of Westminster#Old Palace|Old Palace of Westminster]]. The River Thames is to the right.]]
[[File:House of lords and princes chamber.jpg|right|thumb|250px|alt=A monochrome illustration of several short buildings clustered in a small space. A yard in the foreground is filled with detritus.|An early 19th-century illustration of the east end of the Prince's Chamber (extreme left) and the east wall of the House of Lords (centre)]]

Following their oath, the plotters left London and returned to their homes. 
The conspirators returned to London in October 1604, when [[Robert Keyes]], a "desperate man, ruined and indebted", was admitted to the group.<ref name=NorthcoteParkinsonP96>{{Harvnb|Northcote Parkinson|1976|p=96}}</ref> His responsibility was to take charge of Catesby's house in Lambeth, where the gunpowder and other supplies were to be stored. Keyes's family had notable connections; his wife's employer was the Catholic [[Henry Mordaunt, 4th Baron Mordaunt|Lord Mordaunt]]. He was tall, with a red beard, and was seen as trustworthy and—like Fawkes—capable of looking after himself. In December{{efn|According to his confession.}} Catesby recruited his servant, [[Thomas Bates]], into the plot,<ref>{{Harvnb|Fraser|2005|pp=130–132}}</ref> after the latter accidentally became aware of it.<ref name=NorthcoteParkinsonP96 />

It was announced on 24 December 1604 that the scheduled February re-opening of Parliament would be delayed. Concern over [[Second plague pandemic|the plague]] meant that rather than sitting in February, as the plotters had originally planned for, Parliament would not sit again until 3 October 1605. The contemporaneous account of the prosecution claimed that during this delay the conspirators were digging a tunnel beneath Parliament. This may have been a government fabrication, as no evidence for the existence of a tunnel was presented by the prosecution, and no trace of one has ever been found. The account of a tunnel comes directly from Thomas Wintour's confession,<ref name="ODNB Thomas Wintour"/> and Guy Fawkes did not admit the existence of such a scheme until his fifth interrogation. Logistically, digging a tunnel would have proved extremely difficult, especially as none of the conspirators had any experience of mining.<ref>{{Harvnb|Fraser|2005|pp=133–134}}</ref> If the story is true, by 6 December 1604 the Scottish commissioners had finished their work, and the conspirators were busy tunnelling from their rented house to the House of Lords. They ceased their efforts when, during tunnelling, they heard a noise from above. The noise turned out to be the then-tenant's widow, who was clearing out the [[undercroft]] directly beneath the House of Lords—the room where the plotters eventually stored the gunpowder.<ref>{{Harvnb|Haynes|2005|pp=55–59}}</ref>

By the time the plotters reconvened at the start of the [[old style]] new year on [[Lady Day]], 25 March 1605, three more had been admitted to their ranks;<!-- admitted in January, Haynes p57 --> [[Robert and Thomas Wintour|Robert Wintour]], [[John Grant (Gunpowder Plot)|John Grant]], and [[John and Christopher Wright|Christopher Wright]]. The additions of Wintour and Wright were obvious choices. Along with a small fortune, Robert Wintour inherited [[Huddington Court]] (a known refuge for priests) near [[Worcester, England|Worcester]], and was reputedly a generous and well-liked man. A devout Catholic, he married Gertrude, the daughter of [[John Talbot of Grafton]], from a prominent Worcestershire family of recusants.<ref name="Fraserpp5961">{{Harvnb|Fraser|2005|pp=59–61}}</ref> Christopher Wright (1568–1605), John's brother, had also taken part in the Earl of Essex's revolt and had moved his family to [[Twigmore]] in [[Lincolnshire]], then known as something of a haven for priests.<ref>{{Harvnb|Fraser|2005|pp=56–57}}; {{citation|last=Nelthorpe |first=Sutton |title=Twigmore and the Gunpowder Plot |journal=Lincolnshire Magazine |volume=2|issue=8 |date=November–December 1935 |page=229}}</ref> John Grant was married to Wintour's sister, Dorothy, and was [[lord of the manor]] of Norbrook near [[Stratford-upon-Avon]]. Reputed to be an intelligent, thoughtful man, he sheltered Catholics at his home at [[Snitterfield]], and was another who had been involved in the Essex revolt of 1601.<ref>{{Harvnb|Fraser|2005|pp=136–137}}; {{Harvnb|Haynes|2005|p=57}}</ref>