Mason Allenger HIST 384, Dr. Grace 4/1/2016
Exerpt from: “The Trial of Francatte Camont in Lorraine, 1598.” Source: Levack, Brian P. Witchcraft Sourcebook. 2nd ed. London: Routledge, 2015.
Depositions. 1. Magdelaine, wife of Colas Cointzelin, of Raves, 23, deposed that the accused had a long reputation for witchcraft. Four or five years earlier she had been guarding animals with the daughter of the accused when she came and rebuked her, saying “might she have ill health,” and even drawing her knife to strike her. This was because animals had strayed and had been fined by Colas de Bonipaire; she said that as the eldest witness she should have prevented this. Three or four years earlier she had married and then became ill after the pregnancy; she sent for Françatte to visit her, suspecting she was the cause of her illness, but she pretended she was absent even though she was at home. She still has not properly recovered or is able to walk. If Françatte was a witch as reputed, in view of her threats, she thought she was the cause.
2. Jean Claude Maimbourg, 50, testified that during the 20 years she had been in the village, he had various quarrels with her, and she usually threatened him, saying he would repent. These threats were normally followed by the death of animals, and in one period of two years he lost eight horses and during a winter four oxen, so that since she and her husband were his neighbors he had lost animals to the value of over 1000 francs. in view of her reputations and the threats she made, he was sure she had caused most of these deaths. Seven or eight years earlier his wife had died after an illness lasting a fortnight, during which she often asked her daughters and others to persuade Françatte to visit her, since she suspected her of being the cause, but she only came to the funeral procession. 3. Demenge Colas Jacquemin, of Raves, 40, had served seven years in the house of the widow of Jacquat Rolbel, hostess at Layegoutte. During this time his mistress was ill and sent him to consult a woman at Fertrupt on her behalf. He left early one morning, and as he left the village he fell, dislocating his shoulder, which he had to have set by a doctor at St Marie. On his return he told his mistress about this, and she said Françatte had joined another woman by the spring after he left, saying “that the hostess had sent her valet to the Devil, and that she wished to make him sick as well as her.” Nevertheless he did not think she had caused his fall, and if she had he forgave her.
4. Thoussainct Grand Didier, of Raves, 40, deposed that more than 20 year ago Françatte and her husband, who had no property, came to live at Raves. After three or four years they wanted to go to Lubine, but the villagers would not receive her, saying she was rumored to be a witch. This is why they went to Layegoutte; she had always been reputed a witch since then. He had a quarrel with her husband over tithes, which led to a lawsuit, after which a horse broke his leg and died. He then lost a series of animals over two years and was unable to keep any calves successfully. If she was a witch, as reputed, he believed she had caused these losses, in view of their quarrel and the fact that the husband had said in public before the church at Betrimoustier,
“that all those who attacked her would gain nothing.” He also thought she might have caused the illness of his wife, which began on the day of the quarrel over tithes. Since then she had been unable to keep food down without vomiting, and she was not cured despite all efforts; she had eaten nothing since last Friday.
5. Andreu Gerardin, of Combrimont, servant to the widow Jacquot Rolbel of Layegoutte, had heard her reputed as a witch as long as he had known her. Three years earlier, when there was a large company in the tavern, he had a quarrel with her husband and told him that “he lived and slept with a witch.” There was no reaction, and no reparation was sought. . . .
7. Jean Colin, 54, had various quarrels with her and her husband, notably some twelve years earlier over a meadow they rented jointly. They had cut the hay first and had taken more than their share; then he took some of what they had cut and she was very angry, leading to a violent quarrel. He had had various losses, although he could not now remember the details; one of his children died and many of his animals. To find out the truth he went to Val de Villers, where there was a woman “who engaged in divination” and asked her who had caused the losses.
After some speech between them she said, “that it was the work of the woman he suspected, and to confirm what she said took a glass in which she put something like a round apple, and after performing some trick she made him see the effigy of a woman resembling the said Françatte, asking him if it was the one he suspected, and after looking hard several times, he replied that he recognized it was her.” in view of this and her reputation he suspected that she had caused his losses. . . .
10. Jean Claude Epurat, 40, testified that six or seven years earlier the prisoner had brought back two pigs she had found in her garden, saying “that little profit might he have from them, and it would turn out so.” the pigs then became ill and were unable to walk, so after two weeks his wife obtained some bread from the children of the accused by means of a servant, and the pigs recovered after eating this. Frightened that they might still be bewitched, he sold the pigs at Ste Marie; he was convinced that she was responsible. He had later heard that she had learned about the use of the bread, had been very angry, and forbad the children to give any in the future. He also had a sow which became ill. This time he was unable to obtain anything to give it, and it died. . . .
19 May 1598. the Change de Nancy requested that she be confronted with witnesses.
Françatte denied all charges. When confronted with them she made numerous general remarks that they were liars, bore false witness, were children of witches, etc. 1 June 1598. Nicolas Remy asks for torture. Interrogation under torture. Racked severely, but would confess nothing, insisting she was a good Christian. Either later the same day or subsequently she was tortured again, being racked “very severely,” and finally asked to be released, saying she had been seduced by Persin the previous year. When sat down by the fire she said the seduction had been ten years earlier. She had been very angry with her son Jacquot, who had returned from
Allemaigne. He had refused to guard the animals, so she beat him. Persin gave her a purse, offering her a bigger one which he showed her. She went to the sabbat once, but only identified one of those who were dancing, Dedielle, the wife of Michiel Claudel of Ginfosse. She had tried out the powder on her cat, which died. Then she killed a series of animals, in revenge for minor offences in most cases. She had made the servant of Jacquot Rolbel’s widow lame by sprinkling powder on his foot after he stole some of her oats at the mill, then finally felt sorry for him and healed him. She had also made Demenge Jean Gerardin ill by putting powder in the glass when he shared wine with her but then finally felt sorry for him and did the same with yellow powder to heal him. She was angry because he had encouraged her husband to go drinking, and there was not enough money for their food. She also seems to have killed a beggar woman who asked importunately for bread when she was kneading dough and had none cooked. She said she had paid the rent of a chicken to be let off regular attendance at the sabbat, but then said she had been more times than she could remember. She confessed to the usual activities of damaging crops.
She added to the names of those she had seen there Gregoire Matthis and his daughter, of
Bertrimoutier, both executed, the late Dion Bouray of Raves, Dedielle (already named), Jennon, the mother superior of Wisembach, and Laurence, wife of Colas Mandray of Wisembach.
11 June 1598. Interrogation. Confirmed earlier confessions. Asked if she had taken any of her children to the sabbat, she insisted she had not. Remy then asked for execution.
15 June 1598. the Change de Nancy approved this request, subject to reiteration of confessions without any threat of torture. Reiteration of torture had been “directly contrary to law and good practice.”
27 June 1598. Interrogation. She now said she was not a witch and had only confessed this because of torture, but was content for them to put her to death nevertheless. On the suggestion that Persin must have visited her in prison to persuade her to say this, she then agreed that the confessions had been true.
7 July 1598. Sentence carried out.