Margery Jourdemain was the wife of a yeoman and a witch during the 1400s in England. She was known to have closely associated with courtiers and women of higher means due to her ability to aide in fertility — as well as her ability to end unwanted pregnancies. Her popularity and presence as a sort of cunning woman wasn’t entirely short-lived, either. In fact, she managed to get away with practicing what society considered witchcraft for well over a decade.
According to Parliamentary documents from the time, she and two men were arrested under suspicion of practicing witchcraft in 1430. She was convicted of sorcery and sentenced to imprisonment — until her husband managed to save up enough money to bond her out. Unfortunately for Margery, this endeavor took the man around two years. She was ultimately released from prison, though she went right back to work as a fertility witch and abortionist for courtiers and women of status. This time, she managed to get away with her line of work for nearly another decade before she was brought on trial again.
Margery Jourdemain wasn’t so lucky her second time being accused of witchcraft. In fact, she was convicted and sentenced to death. Margery was burned at the stake on October 27, 1441.
Genealogy of Margery Jourdemain
Not much is known of Margyer Jourdemain at all beyond court documents highlighting the details of her witchcraft trials and execution. Her maiden name has never been known, but she was the wife of a man named William Jourdemain. At this time, no documents exist to indicate that Margery mothered any natural children. Therefore, it is impossible to trace the genealogy of this person, at this time.
References
Royal Witches: From Joan of Navarre to Elizabeth Woodville; Gemma Hollman; 2019
