Which magistrate arrested Guy Fawkes beneath Parliament on 5 November 1605?

Sir Thomas Knyvet arrested Guy Fawkes beneath Parliament on 5 November 1605.

Knyvet was a court official and magistrate who acted on information that suspicious activity was taking place beneath the House of Lords. He led a search of the cellar shortly before the planned State Opening of Parliament and found Fawkes guarding barrels of gunpowder.

Fawkes was using the alias John Johnson at the time. Knyvet’s discovery prevented the conspirators from carrying out their plan against King James I, Parliament, and the political leadership gathered for the opening session.

Knyvet is sometimes confused with Robert Cecil, the secretary of state who helped coordinate the government’s response to the plot. Cecil was central to the investigation, but Knyvet was the official who physically seized Fawkes during the cellar search.