Lemp, Rebecca (d. 1590)
Lemp, Rebecca (d. 1590)
German woman, mother of six, burned as a witch . Burned at the stake as a witch in Nördlingen, Swabia, Germany, in 1590; married Peter Lemp (an accountant); children: six.
The respected wife of an accountant and the mother of six children, Rebecca Lemp fell victim to two ambitious local lawyers and a burgomaster and was one of dozens of women accused of witchcraft in Nördlingen, Germany, in 1590. Arrested and jailed while her husband was out of town, Lemp was certain she had nothing to fear because she had done nothing wrong. She soon learned otherwise and sent a letter to her husband pleading, "Don't hide thy face from me, thou knowest my innocence. In God's name, do not leave me in this anguish which is choking me." Although Peter Lemp supported his wife and attested to her innocence, she was brutally tortured on five occasions and eventually confessed. She attempted to smuggle another note to her husband, in which she requested some poison so she could end her suffering. The note was intercepted, however, and Lemp was further charged with attempted suicide. She was forced to write a confession to her husband, to which he responded with an impassioned letter defending his wife. It was ignored, however, and she was tortured yet again and finally burned at the stake. In addition to Rebecca Lemp, some 32 other highly respected women were burned as witches in Nördlingen.