Margery Jourdemayne was born sometime before 1415.

Margery Jourdemayne was born sometime before 1415.

Where she was born, her maiden name, and who her parents or family were is unknown, as is her early life; she only starts to appear in records after her marriage to William Jourdemayne. He came from a well to do family of yeoman and they lived in Acton. What her own education was is unknown, but from the 1430s on, she spent a lot of time in the company of different scholars and respected clerics; considering her lowly status, this is most unusual. She was said to make potions and predict the future and counted the Duchess of Gloucester and Edmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset, among her clients.

In 1430, Margery had been one of seven women imprisoned for a time for an unspecified offence concerning sorcery; it is possible she was making herbal remedies for the sick. She was released, however, without charge for good behaviour and on the condition that she no longer practice witchcraft.

Margery was most known among the ladies of the court for providing spells, love potions and concoctions for bringing about a pregnancy or ending one. In 1441, Margery got caught up in the trial of Eleanor Cobham when it was mentioned that Eleanor had called upon Margery for a spell to conceive. She was also accused of making a wax figure of King Henry VI in order to cause him harm. The Archbishop of Canterbury presided over a church court, and she was found guilty of treason and sentenced to be burned at the stake at Smithfield. The sentence was carried out on October 27, 1441.