In the Tortosí neighbourhood of Remolins, in 1656, a dying neighbour made a fatal accusation against two women from the neighbourhood. This would change their lives forever, because superstitions and popular beliefs carried more weight than reality.
Josep Vidal had been unwell for several days. Despite trying all the usual remedies, he felt increasingly weak. For this reason, he went to see Magdalena Colomer. She had a reputation in the village as a sorceress, as people said she could cure all ailments with her prayers. But she did not dare confront poor Vidal. In her view, the man was “bewitched.” She claimed that someone had practised witchcraft against him. Father Talarn, parish priest of Sant Jaume and accustomed to performing exorcisms, agreed with her.
Neither the sorceress nor the priest could rid him of the evil within. Josep Vidal eventually died, but while he was dying he had time to accuse Joana Bladera and her daughter Tomasa of being responsible for his misfortune. He was certain they were the ones behind his bewitchment.
1. Copy of the map of Tortosa, 1642. 2. Porta Vimpeçol, in the Remolins neighbourhood, late 19th century.
This was a very serious accusation that had to be clarified immediately to prevent the devil from taking control of Remolins. And that was exactly what the local authorities set out to do. The investigation was launched, but not to exonerate the women; rather, it aimed to gather sufficient evidence to prosecute them. Proceedings were opened, and witnesses were called to testify against them. The first to give evidence were the parish priest and Magdalena Colomer. Next came a local woman named Lluïsa Cervera, who was convinced that Tomasa Bladera was a witch because one day, when they met in the street, Tomasa had taken her baby in her arms. From that moment, and for three days afterwards, the child would not stop crying and refused to feed. Concerned that her child had been affected by witchcraft, Lluïsa brought the baby before another local woman who was reputed to be possessed.
1. Coat of Arms of Tortosa, 1635. Photo: Ramon Borrell. 2. Painting Verge dels Procuradors, Tortosa, late 16th century.
According to the beliefs of the time, if the child became agitated on seeing the other woman, it was taken as evidence that the child had suffered from the dark arts. And that is exactly what happened. For this reason, Lluïsa Cervera asserted with certainty that Tomasa was a witch. And if the daughter was a witch, it must have been because she had learned it from her mother. In fact, another local woman, Tomasa Martí, claimed that ever since she had refused to do a favour for Joana, she had suffered such a painful affliction in her chest that it could be caused by nothing other than a curse from the mother Bladera.
Unfortunately, the passage of time has been merciless, and the complete file on the Bladera women has not survived. Therefore, it is impossible to know the outcome of the accusation against them. We cannot tell whether they escaped condemnation, although, based on the testimony collected by the local magistrate, there is little reason to believe they were acquitted. When a woman was accused of witchcraft, incriminating signs seemed to appear from every direction to support the allegation, and it was extremely rare for the accused to emerge unscathed from the process.
Image of the original document “Procés de paeria i veguer, contra les Bladeres (Joana i Tomasa, mare i filla), acusades de bruixeria”. Author: Lorena Ruiz
El Baix Ebre Regional Archive
Nor do we know what prompted Josep Vidal to accuse mother and daughter. Perhaps they had a poor relationship due to some prior issue that we are unaware of? Maybe it was Magdalena Colomer who encouraged him to accuse them. Who knows if they were simply women who practised healing using ancestral remedies, and, seeing them as competition, she took the opportunity to take them out of the picture? These are just two of the many hypotheses one might consider while we wait for someone in the future to solve the mystery of the accusations against the Baldera women, which remains to be deciphered, safely preserved in the El Baix Ebre Regional Archive.
Interior courtyard of the El Baix Ebre Regional Archive (ACBEB).
Interior of the El Baix Ebre Regional Archive. Author: Lorena Ruiz Pellicero
Do you want to know more details about this story?
Consult the original document on which this story is based at Arxius en Línia (Archives Online).
And if you want to consult it in person at the El Baix Ebre Regional Archive, ask for the document “Procés de paeria i veguer, contra les Bladeres (Joana i Tomasa, mare i filla), acusades de bruixeria”, with reference code ACTE290-11-T2-1756.
The importance of the document
And, if you still want to delve deeper, watch this video in which Albert Curto Mercedes, director of the El Baix Ebre Regional Archive, explains the importance of the document chosen to tell this story.
