Peronne Goguillon (died 29 May 1679) was an alleged French

witch Witchcraft traditionally means the use of Magic (supernatural), magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In Middle Ages, medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually ...

. She and the other women who were accused with her are regarded the last women to have been burned at the stake for

witchcraft Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have us ...

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 ...

Life

On 8 May 1679, four soldiers from the

garrison A garrison (from the French ''garnison'', itself from the verb ''garnir'', "to equip") is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a mil ...

Marchiennes Marchiennes () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It was fictionally portrayed in Émile Zola's Germinal. Heraldry See also *Communes of the Nord department The following is a list of the 648 communes of the Nord dep ...

, near

Douai Douai (, , ,; pcd, Doï; nl, Dowaai; formerly spelled Douay or Doway in English) is a city in the Nord département in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. Located on the river Scarpe some from Lille and from Arras, D ...

, behaved violently in a village in

Bouvignies Bouvignies () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. Population Heraldry See also *Communes of the Nord department The following is a list of the 648 communes of the Nord department of the French Republic. The communes ...

. They demanded money from the villagers, and took one of them, Peronne Goguillon, with them and accused her of being a witch. On 10 May, her husband Andrieu Dufosset complained about this, but the next day, Michel Fontenier, the landlord of one of the soldiers, confirmed that she was a witch, possibly in fear of the soldiers. Twenty witnesses were called to the

trial In law, a trial is a coming together of Party (law), parties to a :wikt:dispute, dispute, to present information (in the form of evidence (law), evidence) in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to Adjudication, adjudicate claims or d ...

. Peronne was accused of having violated the holy sacrament, visited the

witch's sabbath A Witches' Sabbath is a purported gathering of those believed to practice witchcraft and other rituals. The phrase became popular in the 20th century. Origins In 1668, Johannes Praetorius published his literary work "Blockes-Berges Verrichtun ...

, having met the

devil A devil is the personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conceptions of t ...

in shape of a black dog called Fréquette, cast spells on children, women and cattle, performed an abortion, and killed children. Three marks were found upon her body. She was eventually made to confess that they were given her by the devil. She pointed out her cousin Jeanne Goguillon, Jeanne Bachy, Jean Bachy, Pierre Hornet and her daughter Marie-Anne Dufosset (age 18) as witches on 24 May. Two days later, she also identified Marie-Anne Ducrocquet, Andrieu Fischel, Philippote Fischel, and Madeleine Truan. On 28 May, Peronne was judged guilty of witchcraft and sentenced to death by burning. The sentence was carried out 29 May 1679. Jeanne Goguillon was burned 3 July 1679 after a mark was found on her body. Marie-Anne Dufosset was judged guilty on the same charges as her mother and burned. These are regarded as the last women to be executed for witchcraft in France; the last women were put on trial in 1748 and 1768, but sentenced to fines; however, the last person to be executed for

sorcery Sorcery may refer to: * Magic (supernatural), the application of beliefs, rituals or actions employed to subdue or manipulate natural or supernatural beings and forces ** Witchcraft, the practice of magical skills and abilities * Magic in fiction, ...

in France was male,

Louis Debaraz Louis Debaraz (died 1745), was a French Roman Catholic priest. He was executed in Lyon on the charges of witchcraft after having performed sacrilegious masses and a pact with the Devil in order to find hidden treasures. He was implicated in the L ...

, who was executed in 1745.

References

(In French) * Robert Muchembled, ''Les derniers bûchers'', Ramsay, Paris {{DEFAULTSORT:Goguillon, Peronne 17th-century births 1679 deaths People executed by France by burning French people executed for witchcraft Executed French women 17th-century executions by France 17th-century French people