The Criminal Prosecution and Capital Punishment of AnimalsEvans, E. P. (Edward Payson)
History
The Criminal Prosecution and Capital Punishment of Animals
Evans, E. P. (Edward Payson)
Animals -- Law and legislation -- History; Animals, Prosecution and punishment of -- History; Trials -- Europe
We may add that the west wall of the south branch of the transept in the
Church of the Holy Trinity (_Sainte-Trinité_) at Falaise in Normandy was
formerly adorned with a fresco-painting of this execution, which is
mentioned in _Statistique de Falaise_ (1827, t. I. 83), and more fully
described by l’Abbé Pierre-Gilles Langevin, in his _Recherches Historiques
sur Falaise_ (1814, p. 146). In a Supplement (p. 12) to this work,
published several years later, the Abbé states that, about the year 1820,
the entire church, including the fresco, was whitewashed, so that the
picture has since then been invisible, and, so far as can be ascertained,
no engraving or other copy of it has ever been made. Unfortunately, too,
as the same writer informs us, _la châsse de la bannière_ (banner-holder)
was fastened to the wall of the church on this very spot, thus covering
and permanently destroying at least a portion of the painting.
In 1394, a pig was found guilty of “having killed and murdered a child in
the parish of Roumaygne, in the county of Mortaing, for which deed the
said pig was condemned to be haled and hanged by Jehan Petit, lieutenant
of the bailiff.” The work was really done by the hangman (_pendart_),
Jehan Micton, who received for his services the sum of “fifty souls
tournois.” (_Vide_ Appendix H.) In another case the deputy bailiff of
Mantes and Meullant presented a bill, dated March 15, 1403, which
contained the following items of expense incurred for the incarceration
and execution of an infanticide sow:
“Cost of keeping her in jail, six sols parisis.
“Item, to the master of high works, who came from Paris to Meullant to
perform the said execution by comand and authority of the said
bailiff, our master, and of the procurator of the king, fifty-four
sols parisis.
“Item, for a carriage to take her to justice, six sols parisis.
“Item, for cords to bind and hale her, two sols eight deniers parisis.
“Item, for gloves, two deniers parisis.”
This account, which amounted in all to sixty-nine sols eight deniers
parisis, was examined and approved by the auditor of the court, De
Baudemont, who affixed to it his own seal with signature and paraph and
“in further confirmation and approbation thereof caused it to be sealed
with the seal of the Chatellany of Meullant, on the 15th day of March in
the year 1403.” (See Appendix I.) In the following year a pig was executed
at Rouvres for the same offence.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account