Quebec's Infamous La Corriveau
In the annals of Québécois folklore, Marie-Josephte Corriveau, also known as "La Corriveau" looms. La Corriveau is said to be a notorious murderess, a misguided victim, or something else (depending on who you ask). Her grisly story starts in 1763 when she was accused of murdering her husband.
Of course, while her story begins there Marie-Josephte existed before 1763. She was born in 1733 in Saint-Villier which at the time was France-Nouvelle, but today is better known as Quebec. While she had 9 other siblings, she was the only member of her family to survive to adulthood. At the time, this was still the frontier so while unlucky it wasn't totally unheard of. Marie-Josephte married young, at the age of 16, to a farmer named Charles Bouchard. They could go on to have a son and two daughters. Until 1760, their life was fairly normal. But then Charles died. As I mentioned, it was a tough place to live, and the world isn't forgiving of a single woman, much less a single woman with three kids. So, she married a year later to Louis Etienne Dodier.
But, the marriage wasn't a happy one. In fact, it was an odd pairing as both Marie-Josephte and her father, Joseph, were known to openly dislike Dodier. So, when Dodier was kicked in the head by a horse and killed they didn't expect her to grieve. But, dark rumors began to circulate as they tend to in small, isolated communities. But Dodier didn't die in any old year, he died in 1763 which was when the British took control of all of France's North American territories and were eager to make their presence and power known. So, they decided to hold an inquiry into Dodier's death, perhaps because of the rumors or simply to get started on government paperwork. During the inquiry, which lasted 11 days, many of Marie-Josephte's neighbors testified. By the end of it, the British had come to a conclusion: Dodier's death was not an accident. And Marie-Josephte was an accessory. Since martial law was the current rule, the British were able to immediately pass a sentence of death on Joseph, who was also found to be involved. Marie and her cousin, Isabel, were sentenced to be whipped and branded for their involvement.
However, it seems Joseph wasn't ready to call it quits. Shortly before his death sentence, he confessed to his priest that Marie-Josephte had been the one to kill Dodier and he had just helped his daughter conceal her crimes. Because of this, they decided to hold a trial and Marie-Josephte pleaded guilty. Her father received a royal pardon and her cousin was released. And Marie-Josephte was sentenced to death. But not just any death, because she had perjured she was also charged with Petty Treason. The official punishment was for women found guilty of Petty Treason (which is basically murdering someone of a better station than you) being burned at the stake. The governor at the time, James Murray, ordered that French civil law still be used and that she would not be burned at the stake. Instead, she would be hanged and her body would be placed in an iron cage at a crossroads as a warning to others and a reminder of the iron-fisted rule of English law in Quebec.
Of course, her gruesome death and accused crimes fanned rumors that she was some sort of black widow or witch or had killed her previous husbands, and, in fact, actually had 7 husbands in total. Her story and the fear of a powerful witch among them caused people to worry that a simple burial wouldn't be able to restrain her power and she would come back to seek revenge. So, instead of the typical sentence of hanging for two months, it was said her corpse hung at the crossroads for years before one day disappearing. Early reports of haunting said she would appear to travel late at night on the crossroads, still bound in her cage and asking them to transport her to the witches' sabbat.
In 1849, her cage, which had likely fallen and been forgotten, was unearthed during work in the graveyard. The cage was placed in a church cellar for safekeeping but soon disappeared. It was believed that it was stolen and sold to PT Barnum for his museum of oddities, and sure enough, the alleged cage was exhibited, awakening the lore for a new generation.
The legend of La Corriveau continued to grow over time, with stories of her wrongdoing, such as using her beauty to trap her victims, being a professional poisoner, and, of course, her ghostly caged specter said to still be seeking revenge. But, much of this mythos was crafted long after her death.
Marie-Josephte Corriveau is a fascinating figure in Québécois folklore with a story that is both gruesome and mysterious. The legend that has sprouted over time has made it difficult to separate fact from fiction. In fact, in some ways, it reminds me of our infamous Bloody Bathory series and the stories of Elizabeth Bathory that seemed to mutate and continue to grow wildly after her life, and the lives of those who had lived through it, were snuffed out. Nonetheless, it is essential to remember that Marie-Josephte Corriveau was a real person, and likely a victim of the law, and her legacy deserves respect in the tales we tell.
The blog feature photo shows the Gibet de Marie-Josephte Corriveau. The photo was taken by Fralambert. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
Thanks to Jane for this blogstonishing suggestion!