French poisoner
Preserved but no longer current.
She was born about 1630' and was executed m Pans in 1676. Havmg- ruined her husband, the Marquis, and squandered his fortune, she became the lover of the Seigneur de Sainte Croix, who instructed her in the use of a virulent poison, supposed to have been aqua tofana. With this she poisoned her father and other members of her family m order to obtain possession of the family lands and wealth.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “French poisoner” mean?
She was born about 1630' and was executed m Pans in 1676. Havmg- ruined her husband, the Marquis, and squandered his fortune, she became the lover of the Seigneur de Sainte Croix, who instructed her in the use of a virulent poison, supposed to have been aqua tofana. With this she poisoned her father and other members of her family m order to obtain possession of the family lands and wealth.
Is “French poisoner” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.