Confession of the Valet of Gilles de Rais, Henriet Griart, Before the Secular Court in Nantes (October 23, 1440)
Source: Georges Bataille. The Trial of Gilles de Rais, pp. 275-279 (Amok, 2004)(Translation by Richard Robinson)
Let it be known that the said Henriet had been a servant and valet of the said Lord de Rais and that, when the said Lord de La Suze took the castle and fortress of Machecoul, the said Henriet heard it said by Milord Charles du Léon that dead children had been found at the bottom of a tower of the said castle; and when the said Milord Charles asked him whether he knew anything about it, he told him no, because he did not know at that time. But he said that when Lord de Rais had recovered the garrison of Champtocé and gone there to give it to the Duke our Sovereign Lord, the said Lord made him take an oath to reveal nothing of the secrets he intended to confide in him. That oath taken, he ordered the said Henriet and Poitou, as well as a fellow named Petit Robin, now deceased, to go into the tower where the said dead children were, take them, and put them in a coffer to be carried to Machecoul. And in the said tower he had discovered thirty-six heads that were put in three trunks, which were bound with cords and taken across the water to the said place of Machecoul, where they were burned, and not in Champtocé, because the said Lord de Rais only stayed there a day or two after having recovered the said place from the said Lord de La Suze, his brother, by handing it over to my said Lord Duke's possession, to whom he had transferred it; and with that the said Lord de Rais betook himself to Machecoul where the said children were, who he was being conducted to prison in the city of Nantes, the said Henriet considered cutting his throat so as to not divulge what he knew.
Item, the said Henriet declared that the said Gilles de Sillé and Poitou had delivered many little children to the said Lord de Rais in his room, with whom the latter had intercourse, exciting himself and spilling his seed on their bellies; but he did not have his way with them but once or twice. Sometimes the said Lord himself cut their throats, sometimes Gilles de Sillé, Henriet, and Poitou slit them in his room; and they wiped up the blood that ran on the spot; and dead, the children were burned in the said room of the said Lord, after the latter had gone to lie down. The said Lord took greater pleasure in cutting their throats or watching their throats be cut than in knowing them carnally. And this Henriet, Gilles de Sillé, and a man named Rossignol had brought and handed over to him about forty, who were killed and burned in the same fashion. This Henriet nabbed those he delivered while they were begging, and the said Sillé, Poitou, and Rossignol burned them.
Item, the said Lord and Master Francois Prelati met alone for five weeks in a room at Machecoul to which the said Lord had the key. And the said Henriet heard that a hand of wax and a piece of iron had been found in it.
Item, he declared that Catherine, the wife of a man named Thierry, who was living in Nantes, gave him her child to be admitted as a chorister of the said Lord. And he, Henriet, led him to his room at Machecoul. And there the said Lord and Poitou made him swear to reveal nothing of their secret. The child delivered, the said Henriet returned to Nantes, where he remained for three days. But on returning to Machecoul, he did not see the child again and was told that he was dead. Henriet said that this was the first child that he had delivered to the said Lord; and he thinks that it was about four years previously
Item, he said that he delivered to the said Lord, at his house, La Suze, in Nantes, a child of Guibelet Delit's, another of Jean Hubert's, another of one named Donete, another of one named Lemion, all four from Nantes. The said Lord had sexual intercourse with them in the said house, and they were killed and burned.
Item, he said that Hillary, a Breton, belonged to the said Lord's chapel, then left it, putting his brother in his place.
Item, he said that Poitou conveyed a beautiful child from La Roche-Bernard to the said Lord at Machecoul, who was likewise put to death.
Item, he said that children were taken to Nantes, and brought to the house of La Suze, where they were killed and burned in the room where the said Lord slept, who was in bed when they burned them; by his order, they placed large or long logs on the andirons in the fireplace, and two or three dry faggots on top of the logs, after which they placed the children; and the ashes of those burned were dispersed in various spots at Machecoul.
Item, he said that he had a beautiful page of Master Francois' killed at Machecoul.
Item, he said that a young and beautiful boy who was living with Rodigo at Bourgneuf-en-Rais had been brought by Poitou and killed at Machecoul, so Poitou told him. And Henriet said that he was not present at the death of the said child, but that he had heard it said by Poitou or by Gilles de Sillé that this child had been put to death like the others.
Item, he said that Princé delivered to Poitou a young page who was living with him, whom Henriet knew, who was put to death as well; he adds that the said murders of children had occurred in the room where the said Lord slept at Machecoul, or at the entrance, and that after burning their bodies, to move more quickly, they sometimes burned the garments and shirts of these children piece by piece m the flames, in such a manner that no one could detect the smoke.
Item, he said that Master Francois Prelati often went into the room of the said Lord and remained there an hour or two alone with him.
Item, he said that Master Eustache went looking for the said Master Francois and that he heard him say that he would summon Master Aliboron, that is, the devil; and that he heard Master Eustache say that Master Francois would make him come for a jug of wine.
Item, he heard that André Buchet, who belonged to the chapel of the said Lord, and presently belongs to that of the Duke, sent children from Vannes to the said Lord at Machecoul, and that his own servant, named Raoulet, brought him one who was put to death, and that this was around the time when the Duke paid the said Lord money due on Champtocé. He also said that the said Raoulet presently lives with Jamet Thomas of Nantes, and that the said André received from the said Lord a horse worth sixty royals.
Item, he said that Milord Roger de Briqueville, Gilles de Sillé, Poitou, and Rossignol knew about the aforementioned.
Item, he said that he had heard that he loved to see the children's heads cut off after having had sex with them on their bellies, their legs between his own; and sometimes he was on their bellies when the heads were separated from their bodies, other times he cut them behind the neck to make them languish, which he delighted in doing; and while they languished it happened that he had intercourse with them until their death, occasionally after they were dead, while their bodies were still warm; and there was a braquemard to cut their heads off with; and if occasionally the beauty of these children did not conform to his fantasy, he cut their heads off himself with the said cutlass, whereupon he occasionally had intercourse with them.
Item, he heard the said Lord say that there was no man alive who could ever understand what he had done, and it was because of his planet that he did such things.
Item, he said that occasionally the said Lord had the said children dismembered at the armpits and that he delighted in seeing the blood; and he heard Master Eustache Blanchet say that the said Lord could not accomplish what he had set out to do without offering up the feet, legs, and other members of the said children to the Devil; that he, Henriet, killed twelve by his own hand; and sometimes the said Lord asked Milord de Sillé, him, Henriet, and Poitou which of the slaughtered children had the most beautiful heads.
Item, he declared that he heard Gilles de Sillé say that since recovering the place, which had been seized by Lord de La Suze, in a room at Machecoul with hay in it, they had discovered forty dead children, who were dried out and had been burned; and he heard Lord de Sillé say that they were fortunate that the said children had not been discovered; [he further stated] that Milord Roger de Briqueville had a woman watch below, there where the said children were; and that when he noticed them he exposed the deed, in which he had not participated.
Item, he stated that one day at Tiffauges, he, Henriet, entered the said room of Lord de Rais', after the latter and Master Frangois Prelati had remained there alone for a long time and then left, and that he noticed on the ground of the said room a large circle, inside of which were characters and crosses, the meaning of which he did not know.
Item, he said that the said Lord had a small book written in blood or red ink, but he is not certain which.
Item, he stated and confessed that to prevent the children from crying out when he intended to have intercourse with them, the said Lord de Rais had a cord put around their necks beforehand, and had them suspended about three feet off the ground in a corner of the room, and before they were dead he let them down or had them let down, asking them not to say a word, and he rubbed his penis in his hand, after which he spilled his seed on their belly; that done, he had their throats cut, having their heads separated from their bodies, and occasionally, after they were dead, asked which of these children had the most beautiful heads.
Item, he declared that the said Lord sometimes gave him two or three crowns for the said children; the said Lord chose them himself when thev came begging, asking them where they were from and, when they were not from the region and said they had neither a father nor a mother, and thev pleased him, he had them admitted to the castle of Machecoul. He then had the gates of the castle drawn apart.
Item, he said that occasionally the said Lord chose little girls, whom he hid sex with on their bellies in the same way as he did with the male children, saying that he took greater pleasure in doing so, and had less pain, than if he had enjoyed them in their nature; thereafter these girls were put to death like the said male children.
Item, he stated that if two of the children were brothers, and if they were brought together, he took his pleasure with just one of them but kept them both in the castle, and so that he who remained would not reveal anything of his brother's fate they were both put to death.
Item, he stated that occasionally, when the said Lord did not have intercourse with the said children, he had it instead with those in his chapel, which was not the witness' concern, because he kept it a secret.
Item, he stated that on the last trip the said Lord made to Vannes, pretending to be waiting for money that the Duke owed him, and staying there two or three days, — and this was last July, it seems to the witness, — André Buchet led to the said Lord's lodging a child, who was killed, whose body was thrown into the latrines of the house, where the said Poitou descended by means of a cord to shove the said body down, whence Buchet and he, Henriet, who helped in the task, had difficulty removing him. Such was the said Henriet's confession.