Peronne Goguillon

Who was Peronne Goguillon?

Peronne Goguillon was an alleged French witch. She and the other women who were accused with her are regarded the last women to have been burned at the stake for witchcraft in France.

On 8 May 1679, four soldiers from the garrison at Marchiennes, near Douai, behaved violently in a village in Bouvignies. 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. Peronne was accused of having violated the holy sacrament, visited the witch's sabbath, having met the devil 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 as witches on 24 May.