Margriet Herroes
Margriet Herroes | |
|---|---|
| Died | 15 October 1551 |
| Known for | Victim of witch trials |
Margriet Herroes (died 15 October 1551) was a Dutch (Flemish) woman who became a victim of a witch trial in Borgloon in the Duchy of Limburg. Her case is notable for the extreme torture she endured without confessing to witchcraft.
Biography
In August 1551, the bailiff of Grathem accused Herroes of witchcraft. The trial was conducted by the drossaard (a judicial officer) of Grathem, who interrogated 421 witnesses during the proceedings. Herroes was subjected to severe torture techniques, including being bound to a ladder and placed on the rack (known as 'duivengaten').[1] On 6 August, she was tied to the ladder twice and tortured in the public square. However, she withstood the torture and didn't admit to being a witch.[2] The next day, she was tortured again, but still did not speak. Severely weakened by the torture, Herroes was locked in an attic and left to her fate. A month later, she was tortured again until she collapsed unconscious. On 15 October Margriet was tortured once more. Because the ladder torture did not produce the desired result, she was made to wear sheepskin shoes. It is likely that the bound Herroes was placed near a fire, causing her legs and feet to burn inside the glowing footwear. Still, the woman said nothing. The aldermen brought her back to the attic. That night, the desperate Herroes committed suicide by cutting her throat.[3]
References
- ↑ "Kroniek". Daris.be (in Dutch). Retrieved 2025-05-13.
1551: De drost van Graeth verhoort 421 personen als getuigen in het heksenproces van Herroes. Zij wordt gefolterd op een ladder, op de pijnbank (duivengaten), schoeisels van schaapsleder bij het vuur gezet. Niets lukt. Zij wordt dan maar op zolder opgesloten.
[1551: The bailiff of Graeth interrogates 421 persons as witnesses in the witch trial of Herroes. She is tortured on a ladder, on the rack (pigeon holes), shoes of sheepskin are placed by the fire. Nothing works. She is then locked up in the attic.] - ↑ "Borgloon | 1551". Mini-Ardenne (in Dutch). Retrieved 2025-05-13.
1551: Er vindt een nieuw heksenproces plaats. Herroes wordt gemarteld op het openbare plein, maar geeft niet toe een heks te zijn, zelfs niet onder marteling.
[1551: A new witch trial takes place. Herroes is tortured in the public square, but does not admit to being a witch, even under torture.] - ↑ Vanhemelryck, Fernand (1999). Het gevecht met de duivel: Heksen in Vlaanderen (in Dutch). Leuven: Davidsfonds. ISBN 90-5826-031-3.