New France
New France (french: Nouvelle-France) was the area colonized by France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Great Britain and Spai ...
, who held the position of the colony's chief
executioner
An executioner, also known as a hangman or headsman, is an official who executes a sentence of capital punishment on a legally condemned person.
Scope and job
The executioner was usually presented with a warrant authorising or order ...
Dictionary of Canadian Biography
The ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography'' (''DCB''; french: Dictionnaire biographique du Canada) is a dictionary of biographical entries for individuals who have contributed to the history of Canada. The ''DCB'', which was initiated in 1959, is a ...
'', vol. 3, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed July 5, 2019.
Born near
Quimper
Quimper (, ; br, Kemper ; la, Civitas Aquilonia or ) is a commune and prefecture of the Finistère department of Brittany in northwestern France.
Administration
Quimper is the prefecture (capital) of the Finistère department.
Geography
The ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, around 1730, Corolère is believed to have come to New France as a military recruit. By 1750 he was a military drummer in the grenadier and gunner company. On January 26, 1751, he was involved in a
duel
A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people, with matched weapons, in accordance with agreed-upon Code duello, rules.
During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the r ...
against a man named Coffre; however, as duelling was illegal in New France, Corolère was arrested and sentenced to death. Coffre could not be arrested or tried, as he fled to parts unknown as soon as he learned that he was at risk of arrest.
In New France in that era, a man who had been sentenced to death could have his life spared if he agreed to accept the job of executioner; a female prisoner, meanwhile, could have her life spared if the executioner agreed to marry her."Historic love". ''
Welland Tribune
The ''Welland Tribune'' is a daily newspaper that services Welland, Ontario and surrounding area. The ''Tribune'' was one of several Postmedia Network newspapers purchased by Torstar in a transaction between the two companies which concluded on ...
'', February 14, 2011. While in prison, Corolère's cell was next to that of Françoise Laurent, a young servant who had been sentenced to death for stealing clothes from her employers, and the two appear to have developed a relationship inside the prison walls; on August 17, 1751, Corolère petitioned to accept the job of executioner, saving his own life, and the following day, he petitioned to marry Laurent, saving hers.
He appears to have held the job of executioner for approximately a year, and there are no known historical records of his or Laurent's whereabouts after April 1752.
The story of Corolère and Laurent has been explored in several contemporary works, including
Margaret Atwood
Margaret Eleanor Atwood (born November 18, 1939) is a Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, teacher, environmental activist, and inventor. Since 1961, she has published 18 books of poetry, 18 novels, 11 books of non-fiction, nin ...
Naomi McCormack
Naomi McCormack is a Canadian film director, producer, screenwriter, theatre director and arts administrator. John Doyle, "John Doyle's Critical List". ''The Globe and Mail'', October 26, 1996. She is most noted for her 1996 film '' The Hangman's B ...
's short historical drama film '' The Hangman's Bride'',"The Hangman's Bride". '' The Beaver'', Vol 79, No. 2 (April 1999). and
Quill & Quire
''Quill & Quire'' is a Canadian magazine about the book and publishing industry. The magazine was launched in 1935 and has an average circulation of 5,000 copies per issue, with a publisher-claimed readership of 25,000. ''Quill & Quire'' reviews ...
'', September 2011. Nearly all such works explore the story from Laurent's perspective rather than Corolère's, often positing that Laurent was in fact the one who convinced Corolère to accept the job and marry her, although none of the original historical records establish whether Corolère or Laurent was the real architect of the decision.