The past 1000 years of British history have been fraught with plots, passions and conspiracies. Many of these conspiracies we recognise as milestones in history, but few of us remember the background and personalities involved. Who were they? How did they fail and what happened to them as a result? David L Young, a lecturer in English and history, looks at over 20 plots and studies how these conspiracies were hatched and usually failed. His explanations greatly add to our knowledge of these intriguing pages in our history.