Fireworks: From the Tudors to Guy Fawkes

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Fireworks: From the Tudors to Guy Fawkes"

Introduction

In the episode titled "Fireworks: From the Tudors to Guy Fawkes," hosted by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb on the "Not Just the Tudors" podcast from History Hit, listeners are taken on an illuminating journey through the history of fireworks in England. The episode delves into the origins, evolution, and cultural significance of pyrotechnics from the Tudor era up to the infamous Gunpowder Plot, featuring insights from guest John Withington, a seasoned journalist and author of A History of Fireworks: From Their Origins to the Present Day.

Early Fireworks in England

Professor Lipscomb begins by setting the stage for the discussion, highlighting the inaugural use of fireworks in England. She notes, “the coronation of Elizabeth of York in 1487” marked England’s first recorded firework display, tying it to the significant historical context of the Wars of the Roses ending with Henry VII’s victory. John Withington elaborates on this:

“The first account that I could find of a firework display in Europe, a major firework display, was in 1379 at Vicenza in Italy... the first account that I found about fireworks in England was 1487, the coronation of Elizabeth of York.” (03:52)

This event featured a dragon-shaped barge emitting fire, establishing the Thames as a favored venue for future displays and setting dragons as a popular motif in early fireworks.

Distinctiveness of Early Fireworks

The conversation shifts to the contrast between historical and modern fireworks. Withington explains that early displays, often conducted in daylight, lacked the vibrant effects achievable at night:

“...the fireworks probably weren't that bright. It was about the early 19th century when they discovered a chemical called potassium chlorate that the brightness of colors really appeared.” (05:38)

He also recounts the grand spectacle at the Field of the Cloth of Gold in 1520, where Henry VIII and Francis I of France showcased fireworks to demonstrate their might and foster diplomatic relations.

Symbolism and Political Use

Fireworks were not merely for entertainment; they served as symbols of power and prestige. Professor Lipscomb asks whether fireworks demonstrated the right to rule and English supremacy, to which Withington responds affirmatively:

“They’re certainly intended to enhance the prestige of the monarch and the ruler.” (07:45)

He highlights the use of fantastical elements like "green men"—monstrous wild men casting fire—as part of the displays, drawing from Celtic and pagan mythology to add layers of symbolism and awe.

The Green Man: A Symbolic Figure

The Green Man, often seen in cathedrals and linked to fireworks, embodies the intersection of mythology and spectacle. Withington suggests:

“They were appearing, for example, as characters in English drama by about the 1570s... it's possible that there were no major firework displays where you didn't have a Green man in those days.” (09:30)

This figure became an enduring symbol within the pyrotechnic community, symbolizing the blend of natural mythology with elaborate displays.

Origins Linked to Warfare

The origins of fireworks are discussed, emphasizing their ties to military advancements. Withington traces fireworks back to ancient China and notes:

“Warfare was a major... stimulant to the development of fireworks as it has been to so many other technologies.” (10:06)

He explains how gunpowder innovations for warfare inadvertently propelled the evolution of fireworks for public spectacles.

Establishment of Fire Masters under Elizabeth I

Elizabeth I was a patron of fireworks, appointing her own fire masters to oversee grand displays. Withington details the role of the fire master as the "fireworks supremo," often a military man responsible for orchestrating large ceremonies:

“Elizabeth seems to have absolutely loved fireworks... He put on this display... which set fire to a house and killed a family.” (11:30)

Despite a tragic accident during a display at Warwick Castle, Elizabeth continued to support and expand the use of fireworks in royal festivities.

Grand Firework Displays and Royal Patronage

The episode recounts notable displays, such as Robert Dudley’s elaborate fireworks at Kenilworth Castle. These spectacles were not only entertainment but also political statements, showcasing power and attempting to court favor with the Queen.

“...fireworks could be seen 20 miles away. But as we know, if there was a proposal and didn’t stick, he married someone else and she never married at all.” (14:16)

Bonfire Night and the Gunpowder Plot

A significant portion of the discussion focuses on Bonfire Night, commemorating the 1605 Gunpowder Plot. Withington traces the origins and evolution of this tradition:

“From 1605, it was decreed that the failure of the plot must be celebrated every year... by 1632, Bonfire Night was being associated with disorder...” (17:56)

He explains how Bonfire Night became intertwined with celebrations, disorder, and later, public participation in smaller firework displays, sometimes leading to chaos and accidents.

Public Participation and Firework Manufacturing

The transition from royal displays to public participation is explored, highlighting how fireworks became accessible, albeit often dangerous, to ordinary people:

“They certainly were involved in the firework displays... People were certainly making their own fireworks.” (24:02)

Withington discusses the cottage industry nature of firework manufacturing, marked by frequent explosions and lack of regulation until the 19th century.

Impact of the Great Fire of London on Firework Regulations

While largely unrelated, the Great Fire of London led to a ban on firework making within the city:

“In 1666, yes, firework making was banned in the City of London... it drove firework making underground.” (25:53)

This prohibition inadvertently pushed firework production into unregulated, clandestine operations, complicating safety and governance.

Regulation and Safety Innovations

The 19th century brought efforts to regulate and make firework manufacturing safer. Charles Brock, a prominent figure in firework history, pioneered methods to minimize accidents:

“He did things like he had what they called dispersals... he was regarded as quite a pioneer.” (28:14)

These innovations laid the groundwork for modern safety standards in pyrotechnics.

International Comparisons and One-Upmanship

Withington compares English fireworks to those of other European powers, noting that Italy and Germany were leaders in firework innovation due to their fragmented political structures fostering competition:

“...Italy was divided into all of these small states, each with its own ruling family, each putting on firework displays.” (28:36)

By the 19th century, Britain had emerged as a world leader in fireworks, rivaling the grand displays of Louis XIV’s Versailles.

Universal Function of Fireworks: Spectacle and Triumph

Despite varying cultural and political contexts, fireworks consistently served as tools for spectacle and triumph across different courts and eras:

“...big firework displays were put on then... when the 1530s... major occasions, royal occasions, so births, marriages, coronations, also things like victories.” (30:38)

Their universal appeal lay in their ability to awe and inspire, reinforcing the power and prestige of those who commissioned them.

Conclusion

The episode wraps up with Professor Lipscomb encouraging listeners to explore John Withington’s comprehensive book for an even deeper dive into the history of fireworks. The discussion underscores fireworks' enduring role as symbols of power, celebration, and technological innovation from the Tudor period to modern times.

Notable Quotes

• John Withington (03:52): “The first account that I could find of a firework display in Europe... was 1487, the coronation of Elizabeth of York.”

• John Withington (05:38): “It was about the early 19th century when they discovered a chemical called potassium chlorate that the brightness of colors really appeared.”

• John Withington (07:45): “They’re certainly intended to enhance the prestige of the monarch and the ruler.”

• John Withington (09:30): “They were appearing... as characters in English drama by about the 1570s... no major firework displays where you didn't have a Green man.”

• John Withington (11:30): “Elizabeth seems to have absolutely loved fireworks... set fire to a house and killed a family.”

• John Withington (14:16): “Fireworks could be seen 20 miles away... he married someone else and she never married at all.”

• John Withington (17:56): “Bonfire Night was being associated with disorder... inextricably mixed up with the night ever since it appeared.”

• John Withington (24:02): “People were certainly making their own fireworks... cottage industry.”

• John Withington (25:53): “Firework making was banned in the City of London... drove firework making underground.”

• John Withington (28:14): “He did things like he had what they called dispersals... quite a pioneer.”

• John Withington (28:36): “Italy was divided into all of these small states, each with its own ruling family...”

• John Withington (30:38): “...big firework displays were put on then... victories.”

Final Thoughts

"Fireworks: From the Tudors to Guy Fawkes" offers a captivating exploration of the intricate history and multifaceted role of fireworks in English society. Through expert analysis and engaging storytelling, Professor Lipscomb and John Withington illuminate how fireworks have been intertwined with political power, cultural expression, and technological advancement over the centuries. This episode is a must-listen for history enthusiasts interested in the vibrant legacy of pyrotechnics.

Transcript

[Professor Susanna Lipscomb]

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[Professor Susanna Lipscomb]

Hello, I'm Professor Susanna Lipscomb and welcome to Not Just the Tudors From History Hit, the podcast in which we explore everything from Anne Boleyn to the Aztecs, from Holbein to the Huguenots, from Shakespeare. Shakespeare, to summarize, relieved by regular doses of murder, espionage and witchcraft. Not, in other words, just the Tudors, but most definitely also the Tudors. On this, the eve of Bonfire Night in the uk, we travel back to the beginning of the Tudor Age and England's very first firework display, a pyrotechnic dragon spouting flames of fire into the Thames during the coronation events of Elizabeth of York in 1487. It had been two centuries since the English philosopher and scientist Roger Bacon had first described devices with a sound exceeding the roar of strong thunder and a flash brighter than the most brilliant lightning. Two centuries where inventions had flourished across Europe as part of religious festivals, political spectacle, and theatrical performance. As a sign of might and majesty, these displays recurred through the reign of Henry VIII and flourished under Elizabeth I, the first English monarch to establish her own fire master. By the time of the Gunpowder Plot, fireworks were used not only to celebrate, but to commemorate and incite. My guest today is John Withington, journalist, author and the writer and director of over 40 television documentaries. He joins me to discuss his wonderful new book, A History of Fireworks From Their Origins to the Present Day, which traces the remarkable development of pyrotechnics from accident to innovation. I'm Professor Susanna Lipscomb, and this is not just the Tudors from history hit. John, welcome to the podcast.

[John Withington]

Good to be here. Thank you.

[Professor Susanna Lipscomb]

So, let's go back to the very beginning. Can you tell me about the first recorded use of fireworks in England and how it compares to what was happening in the rest of Europe?

[John Withington]

The first account that I could find of a firework display in Europe, a major firework display, was in 1379 at Vicenza in Italy, when something like a model dove running along a line, powered by some kind of rocket and emitting sparks as it went, appeared during a mystery play. Now, that's a good hundred years before the first account that I found about fireworks in England, which was 1487, the coronation of Elizabeth of York. Absolutely crucial moment, of course, because we'd had the ends of the wars of the roses, 1485, Henry VII, a kind of Lancastrian, had won the war, married Elizabeth of York. This was designed to put an end to the enmities of 30 years. So this was an absolutely crucial occasion. And it was marked by a procession of barges along the River Thames. The leading barge had a huge dragon in it emitting fire from its mouth because there were fireworks inside it. And there's two things were established there about fireworks, really. One is that the River Thames became a favorite venue for fireworks displays, going right up to the present day. A lot of firework practitioners like to have their displays near water because then you've got all the effects of reflections and so on. The other thing is that dragons were a great favorite. And if you can make a model of a dragon and stick fireworks inside, dragons breathe fire. That's what they do. So dragons were very much favored among firework practitioners in those early days.

[Professor Susanna Lipscomb]

And that's quite different from our modern designs, isn't it? Do we have a sense that they really are quite distinct from what we think of when we think of fireworks?

[John Withington]

Of course, we have no video, we have no photographs, we don't know what those fireworks look like in those days. But I think it's pretty fair to say that the dragons may have been marvellous. But I think anyone who's seen modern displays, it's quite likely that they might have found these early displays a Little bit underwhelming. They often happened in daylight. That meant, of course, that you don't get the wonderful effect of bright fireworks against the night sky. The fireworks probably weren't that bright. It was about the early 19th century when they discovered a chemical called potassium chlorate that the brightness of colors really appeared. And then we got magnesium and aluminium also in the 19th century. And that contributed to the appearance of fireworks really that we get today. Of course, in those days there were no computerized displays, but nonetheless, these fireworks and dragons would have been pretty impressive, I think. And if we think of another big occasion in Tudor times, so 1520, Henry VIII wants to make a lasting peace with Francis I of France. So they have this wonderful spectacle jamboree at the Field of the Cloth of Gold in France. And that also featured a dragon or possibly a salamander. And this one flew through the air using some sort of kite like mechanism. We're told it was seven meters long and that it terrified many of the spectators. And again, I think this is another of the features of early fireworks, that they were very awe inspiring, quite deliberately designed to inspire awe in the minds of ordinary folk. The more sophisticated people at the court could maybe work out that, okay, this is quite tricky stuff, but it's done by perfectly natural means. Whereas less sophisticated people might think that there is something miraculous in this display.

[Professor Susanna Lipscomb]

At the Field of the Cloth of Gold is interesting. The choice of occasion is interesting. The coronation of Elizabeth York, we get it again at the coronation of Anne Boleyn. Is there a sense in which fireworks serve to demonstrate right to rule, English supremacy, that they represent power, in other words?

[John Withington]

I think they're certainly intended to enhance the prestige of the monarch and the ruler. And we see that not just in England, but in other countries as well. It's probably meant to have a feel good factor, I think the coronation of Anne Boleyn, again, the dragon featured at that. It was a big occasion. And I think they had fountains running with wine, which was probably quite a popular feature. The other thing that came up at that coronation was so called the green men. So these were described as monstrous wild men casting fire. And they became quite a feature of the fireworks scenes. They would be decked out in leaves, hence green man. And the leaves were supposed to protect them them from these clubs that they carried. They carried clubs that emitted fireworks. And so they could be used to clear the way for a procession, for example, or sometimes if in a firework display. There were inevitably longers in those days when fireworks were being put out. Or fuses were being lit. So plenty of intervals and the wild men would act as jesters. But decked though they were in green leaves, there was a pretty good chance that you would get injured or even killed as a wild man. It wasn't a job with great prospects, I don't think, but these green men became a very important part of the scene. And to this day, the Pyrotechnics Guild International still has a Green man as its symbol.

[Professor Susanna Lipscomb]

That's fascinating and so interesting as well, because we see green men throughout cathedrals. But they are, of course, also drawing on kind of Celtic and pagan mythology. The symbolism of the Green man is fascinating in this context. Why does it become associated with fireworks, do you think?

[John Withington]

The Green man is often the name of a pub, isn't it? I think the general consensus is that's probably more to do with the kind of mythological associations that you've been talking about rather than the fireworks. Green man. They were appearing, for example, as characters in English drama by about the 1570s, so they plainly did enter the public consciousness to quite a degree. And I think it's possible that there were no major firework displays where you didn't have a Green man in those days.

[Professor Susanna Lipscomb]

And in terms of the development of fireworks, had they been discovered as part of the sort of technological advancement of warfare?

[John Withington]

Certainly warfare was a major, what should we say, stimulant to the development of fireworks as it has been to so many other technologies. But the question of how fireworks originated is very much lost in the smoke of history. I suppose the general consensus is around a story that goes something like this. Long ago in ancient China, someone picked up a stick of bamboo and threw it onto a fire. And the thing about bamboo is it's hollow, but it's also broken up into compartments. So if you throw a stick of bamboo onto a fire, it'll go bang. And that was the birth of the firecracker. And then the Chinese discovered gunpowder and started to stuff the bamboo sticks with gunpowder. Then they discovered how to do that with paper. And so we had firecrackers. And then maybe between the sort of 5th century, the 10th century, 12th century, fireworks as a spectacle began to develop more so they seem to have discovered, for example, that strontium would make smoke color red. It's absolutely true that warfare helped the development of fireworks, but their origins may have been something rather more humble than all that and rather more everyday.

[Professor Susanna Lipscomb]

Okay, well, let's pick up again. In the late 16th century, Elizabeth I, your book tells us, was the first monarch to appoint her own fire masters. What did the role involve?

[John Withington]

He was the fireworks supremo and he was in charge of any major fireworks ceremonies, usually tended to be a military man of some kind. And that association between fireworks and the military that you've alluded to goes on for a long time, right the way through to the 19th century. But Elizabeth seems to have absolutely loved fireworks. The first display that we hear about that she's clearly associated with was in 1572, and it was put on by Ambrose Dudley, the Earl of Warwick at Warwick Castle. And he, interestingly, was also the Master General of the Ordnance, so he was also a military character. Anyway, he put on this display the castles by the River Avon. Apparently, they had these fireworks that skimmed along the surface of the water, occasionally ducking in and coming out again. I'm not sure if somebody was gilding the lily a little bit with that description, but that's what they talked about. And then there was a mock siege involving two canvas forts, and the siege was settled by a dragon setting fire to one of the forts. And apparently 200 extras were involved in this episode. All of that was great. Unfortunately, one firework flew rather too high out of the castle grounds and set fire to a house in Warwick in which a man called Henry Cooper and his wife were blamelessly lying asleep and were killed. And their house was burned down. And so were a couple of neighbouring houses. And the Queen was a little bit upset about this, so she had a whip round and they raised £25 for people who'd lost out through the fireworks display. But that was the first encounter that Elizabeth had with fireworks. But then a couple of years later, she had perhaps a more significant one, which was at Kenilworth Castle, not very far from Warwick Castle, and that was put on by Ambrose Dudley's younger brother, Robert Dudley, the Earl of Leicester, perhaps the nearest thing to the love of Elizabeth's life, some people think. This is sometimes seen as Robert Dudley's last attempt to bid for the hand of the Queen. 12 days of festivities, all sorts of delights like bear baiting and two big firework displays. Leicester pulled out all the stops. He hired Italian experts to come and put on the firework display. They were persuaded to drop their original plan of firing live cats and dogs into the air. But the fireworks still, apparently, was a great show. Queen liked it very much. The fireworks could be seen 20 miles away. But as we know, if there was a proposal and didn't stick, he married someone else and she never married at all.

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[Professor Susanna Lipscomb]

And so we've got an idea that fireworks are something being seen by the Queen and by the court. Do we have any sense that the public were able to see fireworks?

[John Withington]

It's not clear when fireworks started to be put on sale to the public. But it does look as though some of those early displays people were able to see. And once again, this effect that we talked about of having the cognoscente who could work out more or less what was happening, they probably couldn't explain it in detail. And the ordinary folk who thought, maybe this is something miraculous. So fireworks were often used in that role, and not just in England. When we started going to the New World, to America, in 1585, in America, there was an Englishman who was an expert on gunnery. He put on firework displays to overawe the local Native Americans. And similarly, this. The same thing happened with New France when the French went to America, and they also tried to overawe the Hurons in Quebec. And apparently the Hurons were really overawed and thought, if the French can do this sort of thing, they're plainly demons and not men. We know that was used quite deliberately and also used in the British Empire as well, that fireworks were used to overawe native peoples.

[Professor Susanna Lipscomb]

It's impossible to talk about the history of fireworks in England without recognizing the 1605 event for which we still hold an annual Bonfire Night. When did the first commemorative firework display to the Gunpowder Plot occur? And how did it develop from the.

[John Withington]

Failure of the plot? From 1605, it was decreed that the failure of the plot must be celebrated every year, and that law remained in force until 1859. We know that as early as about 1607, gunpowder was being used to celebrate the Gunpowder Plot. Gunpowder was being set off. That seems to have happened in Canterbury. Now, we're not clear whether that was just setting fire to gunpowder or whether maybe fireworks were involved in that. By 1632, Bonfire Night was being associated with disorder in Dorchester, which was, I think, the most Puritan town in England, but not so Puritan that the local youngsters didn't get drunk. So we're already at 1632, we're getting the kind of disorder element which became such a feature of Bonfire night. And by 1647 in London, there was a display that featured what sounded like quite sophisticated fireworks, firework wheels and so on, rockets put on for Parliament and the militia. And after that, of course, there was a bit of a hiatus during the Commonwealth and Protectorate, because obviously, plucky little Protestant England's victory over the dastardly forces of multinational European Catholicism was something to celebrate, but at the same time, they didn't really like people celebrating. So I think it's probably likely that Bonfire Night did have a bit of a quietening down during that period. But after 1660, when Charles II came to power, he appointed a man called Martin Beckman as farmmaster of England. And Beckman was a Swedish soldier of fortune, arrested for a time as a Dutch spy, allegedly imprisoned in the Tower of London. Then they decided he probably wasn't a spy and gave him a nice apartment in the Tower of London. And while he was living in his nice apartment, Colonel Thomas Blood tried to steal the Crown Jewels, and Beckman wrestled him to the ground and saved the Crown Jewels. But Beckman was a fascinating character, obviously knew his fireworks. The skill that he was renowned for was probably not the pyrotechnics so much as the settings in which he put them. So he was very well known for being able to build papier mache structures, obelisks, pillars, human figures and setting the fireworks in them. He too, loved water reflections, as so many people do. But the other thing Beckman had was political skill, because when James II, Charles II's younger brother, Catholic, of course, came to the throne, Beckman put on a very nice display for his coronation, got knighted, became the first firemaster of England to be knighted, and then in June 1688, he put on a display for the birth of James II's son, James II's son by his second wife, Mary of Medina, which, of course was really crucial because up to that point, James II's heirs had been Mary and Anne, Protestant princesses. So some Protestants could be reasonably relaxed. We don't really like this Catholic king much, but at least when he dies, we're going to go back to a Protestant queen. But once he's got a male heir who leapfrogs over Mary and Anne in the succession, that made things much less relaxing. So, June 1688, Beckman puts on this lovely display for the birth of his son. James is promptly deposed by his son in law, William iii. So what does Beckman do? Puts on a lovely display to welcome William II and gets to keep his job, which he does until 1702, having had 40 years reigning as England's supremo of fireworks.

[Professor Susanna Lipscomb]

What an amazing career. Can I go back to something you hinted at earlier, which was about disorder? So at what point did fireworks and bonfire displays start to stir up sentiments of violence as well as, or perhaps instead of celebration?

[John Withington]

I suspect the answer to that is pretty soon. There does appear to be an idea that bonfire night became a night where the normal rules didn't apply. Sometimes it coalesced with, if you like, broader political motives. So, for example, in Kettering in 1766, the revellers at a bonfire celebration burned down the hayricks of a local farmer who they thought was charging too much for his product produce. And I think a century later, in Exeter, the celebrations got mixed up with bread riots. But sometimes it was just not political disorder, but just general disorder. So in some places, if the bonfire was running a bit low, they'd tear down a couple of wooden fences and throw them on the bonfire, keep it going. And the authorities had a bit of an ambivalent attitude. So it was compulsory to celebrate Bonfire Night. This was a great occasion in English history, but at the same time, the authorities weren't very keen because of the disorder that it tended to lead to. And for example, in Guildford in the early 18th century, they actually had local celebrations. The town council voted the money for them, but by the end of the century, they were trying to ban these celebrations. I think 20, 23 last year, I think there were disorder in Bradford, Manchester, Scotland, maybe other places. So I think it has been inextricably mixed up with the night ever since it appeared, really.

[Professor Susanna Lipscomb]

In 1661, Samuel Pepys wrote of boys in the street flying their crackers. When did ordinary people start participating with smaller firework displays?

[John Withington]

They certainly were involved in the firework displays that we talked about, the ones that led to disorder. And if you go to places like Lewis, so Lewes, sometimes regarded as the firework capital of the world in Sussex, still apparently a pretty fearsome place to go on bonfire night. They would make their own fireworks and we used things like rousers, as they called them, which were super bangers. People were certainly making their own fireworks. And when firework manufacturing appeared and the sale of fireworks appeared, that too was very much a cottage industry. So we know that in 1720, John Brock, a member of the famous Brock firework dynasty, he had a factory, a firework factory. The reason we know he had one is because he got blown up and killed. And the interesting. Sad, but interesting thing about that is that his daughter was also killed in the explosion, which suggests that even though this was called a fireworks factory, it was probably still pretty much a cottage industry. I wouldn't have wanted to have a firework factory as a neighbor, really, because in 1715, there was one of the worst explosions in London's history, happened in what was described as a little gunpowder shop by the Thames, where a man was making rockets. And I think it was 50 people were killed when the shop exploded. So I think what probably happened is that you had people making their own fireworks and then that gradually moved into fireworks being offered for some kind of commercial sale, but probably on a very small scale. And Even in the 19th century, when there was a lot of firework making, nearly all of that was still done as what we would have regarded as a cottage industry.

[Professor Susanna Lipscomb]

One major thing, of course, that's happened in the 17th century is the Great Fire of London. Does that have any effect on people's attitude towards pyrotechnics or how they're used?

[John Withington]

The Great Fire of London had one immediate effect, which was that they banned firework making in the City of London. Incidentally, we should say, as far as I can tell, fireworks were completely blameless in the Great Fire. But nonetheless, you can understand, even if they were, you can understand the local authorities being a little bit worried about it. In 1666, yes, firework making was banned in the City of London. I think it was a rule that was, what do they say, more honoured in the breach than the observance. And what happened, unfortunately, was it drove firework making underground. And in a sense, that was the worst of all possible worlds for the authorities, because what happened is they banned firework making, but it carried on. But because it was banned, you couldn't have any regulations about how it was done. And, for example, a lot of Huguenots, silk weavers, who came over from France after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685, a lot of them started doing firework making as a bit of a sideline, make a few pence after they'd finished their weaving for the day. Firework making continued, though it was illegal, and I think it was 1825, the city authorities had to put a circular through everybody's door, saying, look, I know you believe that these laws have all been repealed and they're no longer enforced, but they are. And what we did get, though, then, in the 19th century, is you did get some attempt to bring firework making into some kind of legal framework. And they did things like, for example, saying that firework workers mustn't smoke while they're making fireworks. Who would have thought it? And Charles Brock of the famous Brock family, was very much engaged in that process of getting a legal framework for firework making. He also devised, I was going to say, safe firework manufacturing, maybe less dangerous. Firework manufacturing would be a better way to put it. He did things like he had what they called dispersals. The fireworks would be made in individual sheds, each one well separated from the next one, to try to avoid any kind of chain reaction. They'd have buildings where, if there was an EXPLOSION the walls would fall away very quickly and he was regarded as quite a pioneer. The trouble is that firework manufacturing therefore had to take place over a large area, which makes it expensive. And of course, it's something that is because of the hazardous materials, it's quite hard to automate as well.

[Professor Susanna Lipscomb]

This is also fascinating. I wonder also if there's a sense in which there was a kind of one upmanship, internationally speaking. I mean, we've got Louis XIV at the end of the 17th century, demonstrating his wealth through Versailles and the czar of Russia, Peter the Great, to celebrate the birth of his son. How did English fireworks compare?

[John Withington]

I think the general consensus would be that in the Tudor period and for quite a while afterwards, they were probably inferior. I mean, after all, why else would you be bringing in Dutch, Danish, Italian firework experts? By the time we get to the 19th century, and particularly when Charles Brock is putting on famous displays at Crystal palace every night, I think the feeling then would be that he maybe took Britain to kind of world leader. We never know quite what's going on in China. We do know that China continued to make huge numbers of fireworks and today is still the greatest firework manufacturer on earth. But it's interesting what you were saying about competition, because I think in the early days a lot of the leading experts were Italians. I wonder. I have no evidence for this, but I do wonder whether one of the reasons was that Italy was divided into all of these small states, each with its own ruling family, each putting on firework displays. So I wonder whether that competition between individual ruling families helped to keep up and improve the standard of firework making. Certainly the Esti family, who were the dukes of Ferrara, were considered to be extremely good at putting on displays, and they certainly put on displays that were not just for the court, but for ordinary people as well. They started by doing displays just for the court, but they broadened that out to the whole population. A similar thing happened in Germany also, where again, Germany divided up into lots of small states, small city states, and that too became a great centre for firework making.

[Professor Susanna Lipscomb]

Well, finally then, I wonder, John, if we think about the many different courts and periods we've talked about, varying political, religious, social structures, do you think that nevertheless, fireworks performed for them generally the same function, I.e. this means of spectacle and triumph?

[John Withington]

You mentioned Louis XIV, and certainly he was probably at the time, was he almost certainly the most powerful man in Europe, possibly the most important man in the world? Louis XIV opened the checkbook. Louis XIV was a bit like a sort of Premier League soccer club chairman. He got the big money and he wanted the best players from all over the world. And the French brought in the best firework makers they could find from anywhere in the world, the best display organizers. He of course had got the wonderful setting of Versailles that he had built. But the Emperor Charles V the century before, who was also probably the most powerful man in the world in his day, he also put on a lot of firework displays. I think it was when the 1530s when he took Tunis from the Turks. Again, big firework displays were put on then. So I think, yes, if you think of great occasions, royal occasions, so births, marriages, coronations, also things like victories, the ends of wars, the Treaty of aix La Chapelle, 1749, end of the War of Austrian Succession, that was perhaps the first event that led to pan European major displays held all over Europe to celebrate the end of that war. And of course in England we were lucky enough to have Handel composing his music for the royal fireworks for that.

[Professor Susanna Lipscomb]

Well, this has been a wonderful overview of fireworks in the period that we focus on in this podcast, but I would encourage anyone listening who has had their appetite whetted to turn to your book A History of Fireworks from Their Origins to the Present day, John Withington, because that provides even more of this delicious detail. But thank you so much for joining me.

[John Withington]

My pleasure.

[Professor Susanna Lipscomb]

Thanks for listening to this episode of Not Just the Tudors from History Hit and also to my researcher Alice Smith and my producer Rob Weinberg. If you enjoyed this episode, sure you'll be fascinated by some of our previous episodes like the Gunpowder Plot, the Tudor Origins. The link is in the show notes for this episode. Remember, you can also listen to all of these podcasts on YouTube and watch hundreds of documentaries when you [e-mail] subscribe it is well worth it. And as a special gift, you can also get 50% off your first three months when you use the Code Tudors at checkout. That's historyhit.com subscribe with the code Tudors and if you'd be so good as to follow Not Just the Tudors wherever you get your podcasts, you'll get each new episode as soon as it's released.

[Christopher Kimball]

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[J]

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[Professor Susanna Lipscomb]

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[John Withington]

It's perfect.

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[J]

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