1749. Not far from Lyon. Marguerite Le Paistour was hot. She could have been sentenced to death. Born 29 years earlier in Cancale, Brittany, Marguerite should never have become "Monsieur de Lyon", the official executioner of the city of Lyon. No woman has ever been an official executioner, even if Madame sometimes helped Monsieur - known as "la bourelle". So why was Marguerite Le Paistour?...
Cancale in the XVIIIᵉ century: a shattered childhood
An oyster fisher as seen in Marguerite Le Paistour's time in Cancale / image Archives d'Ille et Vilaine;
After a happy childhood, everything changed when her father remarried after her mother's death. Marguerite became Cinderella, persecuted by her stepmother. She ran away. A little flat, or let's say rather not necessarily endowed with a prominent bosom, Marguerite figured that dressing as a boy was easier to walk and would save a lot of trouble on the not at all safe roads in this XVIIIᵉ century especially for girls. From villages to towns, she was hired as... a boy by a parish priest for 5 years, and even by the army. Marguerite became Henri.
From disguised soldier to executioner's apprentice
A deserter, she met the Strasbourg executioner and hit it off so well that, still disguised as a man, she was hired. Gifted, she joined the executioner in Montpellier, who made her his first valet, telling her in a nutshell: "Henri, they don't have an executioner in Lyon, you should apply". No sooner said than done, she exercises the trade for 27 months. She hangs, she "wheels" by breaking the limbs of the condemned with an iron bar, she tortures if need be... A fine job for the Lyonnais judges, who were happy with the recruitment until Marguerite's maid informed them that Henri was Marguerite instead.
Woman executioner in Lyon: denunciation and downfall
"Monsieur de Paris" executioner of Paris cuts off the head of Leonora Caligai, former favorite of Marie de Medicis;
The maid spied on her boss and fell in love with him. And one fine evening, as she watched Henri grooming himself, she noticed that nothing was sticking out. Denounced, Marguerite is arrested. She finally confessed that she was not a man. Imprisoned for 10 months, she catches the eye of Noël Roche, who marries her - earning her the Liberté, since a condemned woman could be saved if she were married immediately. The young couple were on their way to Cancale by the time we left. They will settle there and have a daughter.
Back home in Brittany, Marguerite Le Paistour never executed anyone again. As far as we know!
No, no, a woman torturer doesn't look like that...
FAQ about Marguerite Le Paistour
Who was Marguerite Le Paistour?
Marguerite Le Paistour, born in Cancale in 1720, disguised herself as a man and became an executioner in Lyon for 27 months before being denounced.
Why was Marguerite Le Paistour denounced?
One of his maids, in love with "Henri", observed in private that he was in fact a woman, and denounced her to the court.
What happened after the denunciation?
Marguerite was arrested, imprisoned for 10 months, then released thanks to Noël Roche, whom she married. She returned to Cancale and never worked as an executioner again.
How long did she work as an executioner?
She practiced for 27 months, during which time she applied harsh punishments such as hanging, breaking limbs ("wheel") and even torture.
