The Life and Trials of Gillette Banne (c.1636-1672)

Early Life and Background

Gillette Banne (also recorded as Ban, Baune, Bonne) was born around 1636 in Argences, Normandy. She was the daughter of Marin Banne and Isabeau (or Isabelle) Boire.[^1] She was present in the colony of New France by 1649.[^2]

First Marriage to Marin Chauvin dit Lafortune

Marin Chauvin's Background

Marin Chauvin dit Lafortune was born on March 16, 1625, in France. He departed from La Rochelle, arriving in Quebec in 1648, where he had a contract to work as a laborer.[^5][^6]

Marriage and Family Life

Gillette married Marin Chauvin dit Lafortune around 1649 in Trois-Rivières (record lost).[^7] The couple had one child:

Marin Chauvin died before June 7, 1651, in Trois-Rivières.[^10] His daughter Marie had 132 descendants by 1729.[^11]

Second Marriage to Jacques Bertault

Jacques Bertault's Background

Jacques Bertault was born around 1626 in Les Essars, Poitou (Vendée). He was the son of Thomas Bertault and Catherine Coulonne. He worked as a locksmith, laborer, and mason.[^12][^13]

Marriage and Family

Gillette Banne and Jacques Bertault signed a marriage contract on July 27, 1653, and went on to have six children:[^14]

  1. Jacques Bertaut, baptized November 25, 1654, in Trois-Rivières; died before the 1666 census.
  2. Marguerite Bertaut, baptized December 21, 1655; married Denis Véronneau (1668).
  3. Suzanne Bertaud, baptized December 18, 1657; married Jean Hiesse/Liesse (1671); remarried Jacques Brunel (1677).
  4. Élisabeth (Isabelle) Bertault, born January 22, 1659; married Julien Latouche (1671).
  5. Jeanne Bertault, born March 26, 1660; married Vincent Verdon (1680); remarried twice.
  6. Nicolas Bertault, born and baptized February 26, 1662; believed to have died after 1672.[^15]

The 1666 Census for Trois-Rivières recorded the family, confirming Gillette's age as 30 and Jacques's as 40.[^17]

The Tragic Case of Elisabeth Bertault's Marriage

A Child Bride and Abuse

On August 2, 1671, their daughter Elisabeth Bertault married Julien Latouche in Trois-Rivières. Elisabeth was only 12 years old; Julien was 30.[^18] The marriage was plagued by Julien Latouche's alleged heavy drinking and physical abuse of Elisabeth.[^19]

The Murder and Trial

The Crime

With the knowledge and complicity of their daughter Elisabeth, Gillette Banne and Jacques Bertault first attempted to poison their son-in-law, Julien Latouche. When that failed, they killed him with blows from a spade. Elisabeth was present and helped her parents drag the body to the river.[^20]

Sentencing and Execution

The criminal court of Québec City tried the case from May 19 to June 8, 1672.[^21][^22]

On June 8, 1672, the court initially sentenced Jacques Bertault, Gillette Banne, and their daughter Elisabeth to death.[^23]

Jacques and Gillette appealed, but the Sovereign Council (Conseil Souverain) rejected the appeal on June 9, 1672, confirming the death sentence and modifying the punishment.[^24]

Gillette Banne and Jacques Bertault were executed in Québec City on June 9, 1672, following a severe, detailed ritual that included a public apology, strangulation, and the display of Jacques's body.[^26][^27]

Elisabeth, due to her young age of 13, was spared execution but was required to make a public apology and witness her parents' deaths.[^28] The court ordered that the couple's property be given to the minor children (Nicolas and Jeanne) after court costs were paid.[^29]

Legacy

Despite the tragic and dark end, Gillette Banne's descendants through her children from both husbands continued to populate New France, with her daughter Marie Chauvin's line alone growing to 132 descendants by 1729.[^30] The case remains one of the most notorious crimes in early Canadian history.[^31]

Credits and Licensing

Compiled by Mark Rabideau, Opa & Professional Genealogist.

All materials licensed: CC BY-ND 4.0 by eirenicon llc.

Sources

[^1]: Dictionnaire généalogique des familles du Québec des origines à 1730, René Jetté, avec la collaboration du PRDH, 1983, Presses de l'Université de Montréal, A-J, PDF pg 241 (Chauvin, Marin). [^2]: Peter J. Gagné, "Before the King's Daughters: The Filles à Marier, 1634-1662." [^3]: Fichier Origine 250030: Marin Chauvin / Lafortune. [^4]: PREFEN Fiche 12767: Marin Chauvin dit Lafortune. [^5]: Fichier Origine 250030; Carpin 1999, Annexe D, p. 575. [^6]: Peter J. Gagné, "Before the King's Daughters: The Filles à Marier, 1634-1662." [^7]: Dictionnaire généalogique des familles du Québec des origines à 1730, René Jetté. [^8]: PREFEN Fiche 12767; PRDH: Research Programme in Historical Demography. [^9]: Quebec, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1997 - Drouin IGD; Tanguay Vol 1 pg 123 CHA. [^10]: BAnQ 23 Jun 1668; Peter J. Gagné, "Before the King's Daughters: The Filles à Marier, 1634-1662." [^11]: La Mémoire du Québec, Marin Chauvin. [^12]: BAnQ Notarial acts index Inventaire des greffes des notaires du régime français, par Pierre Georges Roy et Antoine Roy; 27 Vol + index 1-8 Vol XI pg 52. [^13]: BANQ Mai-Jun 1672 trial. [^14]: BAnQ Notarial acts index; Peter J. Gagné, "Before the King's Daughters: The Filles à Marier, 1634-1662." [^15]: Dictionnaire généalogique des familles du Québec des origines à 1730, René Jetté, avec la collaboration du PRDH, 1983, Presses de l'Université de Montréal, A-J, PDF pg 92; Tanguay Vol 1 pg 46 BER; Quebec, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1997 - Drouin IGD. [^16]: Peter J. Gagné, "Before the King's Daughters: The Filles à Marier, 1634-1662." [^17]: Wikisource: Recensements 1666-1667 Censuses selon Benjamin Sulte Histoire des Canadiens-français, Tome 4, chap. 4. [^18]: Peter J. Gagné, "Before the King's Daughters: The Filles à Marier, 1634-1662"; BANQ Mai-Jun 1672 trial. [^19]: Raymond Boyer, "Les Crimes et Les Chatiments au Canada Francais Du XVIIe au XXe Siecle," pp 106-107. [^20]: BANQ Mai-Jun 1672 trial; Raymond Boyer, "Les Crimes et Les Chatiments au Canada Francais Du XVIIe au XXe Siecle," pp 106-107. [^21]: BANQ Mai-Jun 1672 trial. [^22]: BANQ Mai-Jun 1672 trial. [^23]: BANQ 8 Jun 1672 sentence. [^24]: BANQ 9 Jun 1672 appeal denied. [^25]: BANQ 9 Jun 1672 appeal denied. [^26]: BANQ 9 Jun 1672 appeal denied. [^27]: Raymond Boyer, "Les Crimes et Les Chatiments au Canada Francais Du XVIIe au XXe Siecle," pp 106-107. [^28]: BANQ 9 Jun 1672 appeal denied. [^29]: BANQ 9 Jun 1672 appeal denied. [^30]: La Mémoire du Québec, Marin Chauvin. [^31]: Raymond Boyer, "Les Crimes et Les Chatiments au Canada Francais Du XVIIe au XXe Siecle," pp 106-107.