The recent thread on the Faux/Fawkes name, and whether Guy Fawkes actually married or not, stirred my curiosity. David Herber's article on the Gunpowder Plot Society website concerning this alleged marriage points to the only source as being the IGI, http://www.gunpowder-plot.org/fawkesmarriage.asp. Actually, the IGI contains no such alleged marriage, it is contained within a patron-submitted Ancestral File. https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.2.1/MZMK-RB1 The Ancestral File entry, shows that the marriage is presumed to have taken place in 1590 at Scotton. However, Scotton was not a parish, but a township within the parish of Farnham, though Lawton states that there was once a free chapel at Scotton, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, http://archive.org/stream/collectiorerume00ducagoog#page/n603/mode/2up. However, the entry is more precise concerning their son, Thomas Fawkes, which states that he was born (rather than baptised) on the 9 Feb 1591 (presumably 1591/2) at Scotton. What is known for certain is this: Guy Fawkes was baptised at St Michael le Belfry, York, on the 16th April 1570, to Edward Fawkes and Edith, nee Blake.[wiki] Further children were born to Edward and Edith: Anne (b. 1568), who died, aged 7 weeks; Anne (b. 1572), and Elizabeth (b. 1575). [wiki] Edward died in 1579, and several years later Guy's mother remarried, to Dionis Baynbrigge (or Denis Bainbridge) of Scotton (the marriage has not yet been found, but was between April 1587 [when Dionis's first wife was buried] and Feb 1588/9 [a deed from Dionis to his mother, and names his new wife as Edith]) [Pullein, 93-94]. Guy (who was aged 17-19 when his mother remarried) resided with his mother and stepfather at Scotton for a few years [Pullein, 95-104] Guy came of age in 1591, and in October 1591 Guy sold the estate in Clifton that he had inherited from his father.[wiki] Guy's two sisters, Ann and Elizabeth, both married in Scotton. Elizabeth to William Diconson, 29 Jun 1594; and Ann to Henry Kelburne, 30 Oct 1599 http://archive.org/stream/registersoffarnh56farn#page/48/mode/2up Guy was living in Scotton in October 1591 [deed], and in York in Aug 1592 [deed], and left for Flanders in 1593 or 1594 [Pullein, 102]. Pullein: The Pulleyns of Yorkshire, Catherine Pullein, 1915 http://archive.org/stream/pulleynsofyorksh00pull#page/n3/mode/2up Given the above, it is quite possible that Guy married Mary Pulleyn in 1590, and had a child born in Feb 1591/2. However neither of these events occur in the Farnham parish registers (and Scotton, within this parish, was the home of Mary Pulleyn), but, given that they were Catholics this is not at all surprising. The registers of Farnham are conspicuous by the absence of baptisms of the local Catholic families (Pulleyns, Percies). Catholics were being severely persecuted during this period: 1581: 100 marks fines and 1 year impronment for anyone caught attending Mass. 20 pounds a month for not attending the Established church. 1585: An order that all catholic priests should leave the Kingdom, upon pain of death, was issued, and it was declared an act of treason for any to harbour them 1586: Margaret Clithero pressed to death in York for refusing to plead to a charge of harbouring a priest 1586: Another Act empowered the sovereign to seize all the goods, and two-thirds of the real estate, of any Catholic who fell into arrears with their fines (for non-attendance at church) 1588: Spanish Armada gave rise to more Penal laws against Catholics 1592: "Act for the better discovery of wicked and seditious persons terming themselves Catholics, but being rebellious and traitorous subjects" 1593: "An Act for restraining Popish recusants" Catherine Pullein cites several instances where the local Catholics in Scotton and Farnham were married secretly at night in fields by a seminary priest, and had their children baptised likewise, at great risk to themselves [see for example page 113]. So there understandably scant evidence for any marriage between Guy Fawkes and Mary Pulleyn, and for any baptism of any child of theirs. However, it may be possible to prove the negative: 1. Is it likely that Guy married (1590), sold his estate (1591) had a child (1591/2), then immediately left for the Continent to fight in various wars (1593-4)? 2. In 1599 Richard Collinge, a Jesuit Priest, wrote to William Piccioli in Venice, on behalf of Guy Fawkes, in which he said: Good Sir, — I pray you lette me intreate your favoure and frendshippe for my Cosen Germane Mr. Guiydo Fawks, who serves Sir William [Stanley], as I understande he is in greate wante and your worde in his behalfe may stande him in greate steede He hath lefte a prettie livinge here in his countre which his mother, being married to an unthriftie husband since his departure I think hath wastied awaye." This letter, referring to Guy's personal circumstances, makes no reference to him having to support a wife and child. 3. Guy's mother and stepfather were listed as Catholic recusants in 1604 in Scotton, but no Fawkes were listed (where was Mary Fawkes, if she existed?) 4. Several deeds exist concerning Guy's mother and stepfather immediately prior to his execution in 1606, but none make any mention of a wife or son of Guy. It is possible that Guy arranged for his family to move to the Continent for safety prior to the Gunpowder Plot, but I would still have expected them to show up in the wills of their relatives. It is also possible that his wife and child died early, but I would have expected them to show in the burial records. I think, rather than try to reinvent the wheel, recourse should be had to indentifying the identity of the patron that submitted this data to the Ancestral File, who has the Identifier, ovauk1288827 Does anyone have any further evidence to hand? Colin