Anna Witthovedes

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Soest (engraving by Matthäus Merian )

Anna Witthovedes (* in Eineckerholsen ; † July 10, 1585 in Soest ) was a victim of the witch hunts of the city council of Soest. Her sister was Walburg Welle, her sons Lips Witthovedes, Lambert Witthovedes, Johann Witthovedes. Her first husband was probably Wilm Jacob Witthoffes zu Holthusen, who died in 1570/71, her second husband was probably Johan Boeckelmann (also called Johan Witthovedes, Witthovet) from Eineckerholsen, who married into the Witthöfft farm of the late Jacob Withovet after his death.

Witch trials in Soest

In the witch trials in Soest between 1570 and 1614 at least 67 people were executed for alleged witchcraft . With this witch trial began the most momentous chain trial of Soest of the years 1585–1586, the victims of which were largely male, through “statements” under torture.

Witches conjure up storms, woodcut, Ulrich Molitor, Cologne 1489
Burning of witches in Derneburg, leaflet 16th century

Tragic fate with husband

Ms. Anna Witthovedes from Eineckerholsen (today part of Welver ) suffered a particularly tragic fate in 1585. Anna Witthovedes was permanently beaten by her second husband Johann Witthovedes. The children were also brutally abused by the stepfather. When the extremely violent man smashed a fork handle on the youngest daughter, the toddler died. Anna Witthovedes and her sons Lips and Lambert filed a lawsuit against the husband and stepfather, respectively. (StA Soest A 3088, p. 362) When the step-sons confronted the step-father in the house of the neighbor Flerckmann, there was a fight and a fight. Influential friends of the stepfather, the wealthy farmer Hermann Hohoff from the neighboring village of Einecke and the Schulte (local judge) von Eineckerholsen, brother of the stepfather (probably Hinrich Boeckelmann from Einckerholsen), began to slander Anna Witthovedes in public and to call her a witch. It harms other families, it enchants horses with a devilish herb and, as a "melckentoversche", causes the neighbors' cows to stop giving milk. Schulte knew the exact procedure of the witch trials . He advised the stepfather with the aim of getting the wife and stepons out of the way and putting them at the stake. They spread rumors and denounced that they had gotten involved with the devil .

Charge, torture, confession

Through his influential friends it was possible to convince the council of the city of Soest that Anna Witthovedes was suspected of witchcraft. She was to blame for the death of her little daughter through witchcraft. Once the suspicion of the devil's pact and the magic of damage by a “witch” arose, the judges closed their eyes to the real causes of death of the slain little girl. The council showed a strong will to persecute and had Anna Witthovedes and her sons arrested. The facts have now been twisted under the torture and the confession desired by the judges has been corrected. The judges only allowed the influence of diabolical powers to be the cause of the arguments with Schulte and the stepfather. On the torture bench, the executioners forced the three accused Witthovedes to confess that they had a. the toddler was killed by magic spells with a devilish black herb with the purpose of avoiding further torture by the father. The confessions under torture fully contained the learned witchcraft pattern: devil's pact, devil's compensation , participation in the witch's sabbath, and magic spells.

judgment

On July 9, 1585, the city council of Soest sentenced the son Lips Witthovedes to death by burning at the Soest stone cave. One day later, Anna Witthovedes was burned at the stake, and finally on July 15, 1585, the other son Lambert Witthovedes. Anna's sister Walburg Welle from Soest was also executed on July 26, 1585. The brutal stepfather was not punished, but was now the owner of the farm.

rehabilitation

On February 27, 2013, the city council of Soest announced that victims of the witch hunt would be rehabilitated.

literature

  • StA Soest A 3088, p. 362.
  • StA Soest A 3774, u. a. fol. 116-124.
  • StA Soest A 3090, p. 146.
  • Marga Koske: The stock exchange register from 1685. Soest 1960, p. 670.
  • Barbara Krug-Richter: Magic and Conflict - Witch Trials in Soest 1570–1616. In: Soest, Geschichte der Stadt, Volume 3. Soest 1995, pp. 637–685. On Witthovede p. 652 ff.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ List of names of the victims of the witch trials in Soest (PDF; 67 kB)
  2. ↑ Barbara Krug-Richter: Magic and Conflict - Witch Trials in Soest 1570-1616. In: Soest, Geschichte der Stadt, Volume 3. Soest 1995, pp. 637–685. P. 649, Schaubild Krug-Richter, P. 650f with the names of all those involved in the process. On Witthovede p. 652 ff.
  3. ^ Council of the City of Soest rehabilitates victims of the witch hunt on February 27, 2013 (PDF; 104 kB), accessed on May 14, 2016.
personal data
SURNAME Witthovedes, Anna
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Victims of the witch hunts of the council of the city of Soest
DATE OF BIRTH 15th century or 16th century
PLACE OF BIRTH Einckerholsen
DATE OF DEATH July 10, 1585
Place of death Soest