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Scotland's history is astonishingly brutal, but even among all that slaughter and horror one tale really does stick out like a sore thumb. It's the charming little tale of Alexander "Sawney" Bean who was born in East Lothian, around 1380AD. Very little is known of his early life, other than accounts that his father was a hedger-and-ditcher.
It seems that young Sawney was an idle and dishonest boy, not inclined to follow his father's poorly-paid and arduous trade. Around 1400, Sawney had taken up with an unpopular and feckless girl who had been accused of witchcraft. Facing increasing hostility from their neighbours, the young couple ran away into the wild country of the Galloway coast. It was a wilderness of forests, bracken and treacherous cliffs, and nobody was particularly inclined to go looking for them. As far as the outside world was concerned, Sawney and his woman had disappeared for good. It stayed that way for 25 years.
Scotland at that time was a bad place to be. Wars constantly broke out as the upstart Stewart kings attempt to force their rule upon the Highland lairds. Even Galloway, close the Edinburgh was a wild and lawless place, and famines struck several times in the early 15th century. In such climates, bad seeds can sometimes thrive. Sawney and his wife never attempted to work for a living- instead they chose to prey on travellers along the coast roads. They robbed their victims, and they didn't leave live witnesses. However times were hard, and at some point in the famines they took a step down even darker paths.
It was around 1430 that all was revealed. A man and wife, returning home from a fair were attacked by a small group of wild and ragged bandits. Both were dragged from their horse, and the woman's throat was cut. Her husband was armed with a sword and in a desperate fight across the moors he managed to keep the bandits at bay until other townspeople from the fair heard his screams, and chased off his attackers.
Within days, a local militia was summoned by King James I. Using Bloodhounds, they searched the area until they reached Bennane Cave, near Ballantrae, where the hounds picked up a scent that turned out to be rotting flesh. It was a huge cavern, with passages stretching back nearly a mile. It was also inaccessible at high tides. As the posse entered the cave, they fought running battles with ragged wildmen who charged them with daggers and threw stones.
Eventually the clan were overpowered by the militia. The bandits consisted of Sawney, his wife, their 14 children and several grandchildren. No new blood had entered the clan- it was a knotty little brood of incest. Around the walls of their cave were the preserved remains of half-eaten human bodies. The Beans had found the most efficient way of surviving the famines- and the bones of many victims were strewn around the floor.
There was no trial. The surviving Beans were taken to Leith, and executed summarily. The men were dismembered and left to bleed to death while the women were burned. There is no way of knowing how many the killed- traditional stories place the number at 1000.
(Debunking the debunkers.
Debunking sites are all the rage on the net. The trouble is that they're frequently even less reliable than tales they are attempting to debunk. If you look up the story of Sawney Bean, you'll find no shortage of accounts confidently stating that the tale of Sawney was a myth. The "proof" they use follows...
1- There are no records of any such actions of James I.
2- Tales of cannibalism were always used by the English to demean their imperial subjects as savages.
3- The tale of Sawney Bean was not first published until 1843.
4- It's just too fanciful to be true.
I'm not so convinced however. Here goes...
1- A schoolboy error. James I of England was James VI of Scotland, meaning they're looking for proof 200 years too late. These were 14th-15th century events, when records weren't so reliable.
2- They certainly were, but see point 3 above. By 1843 Queen Victoria was on the throne and her gusset was thoroughly moistened by all things Scottish. Everything north of the border was the height of cool at that time, and nobody was attempting to tar the Scots as a bunch of baby-eating brigands.
3- So it goes. Many events of the far past rely on oral history, and the fact that there was little documentation at the time doesn't mean it never happened. The tales of Sawney are highly consistent and the location is fixed and believeable.
4- Cannibalism, banditry, famine and murder were rife in Galloway at the time. It was a hard time in a hard country. In fact, I'm surprised there weren't more clans like Sawney's springing up. Maybe they were just unlucky and got caught...)
It seems that young Sawney was an idle and dishonest boy, not inclined to follow his father's poorly-paid and arduous trade. Around 1400, Sawney had taken up with an unpopular and feckless girl who had been accused of witchcraft. Facing increasing hostility from their neighbours, the young couple ran away into the wild country of the Galloway coast. It was a wilderness of forests, bracken and treacherous cliffs, and nobody was particularly inclined to go looking for them. As far as the outside world was concerned, Sawney and his woman had disappeared for good. It stayed that way for 25 years.
Scotland at that time was a bad place to be. Wars constantly broke out as the upstart Stewart kings attempt to force their rule upon the Highland lairds. Even Galloway, close the Edinburgh was a wild and lawless place, and famines struck several times in the early 15th century. In such climates, bad seeds can sometimes thrive. Sawney and his wife never attempted to work for a living- instead they chose to prey on travellers along the coast roads. They robbed their victims, and they didn't leave live witnesses. However times were hard, and at some point in the famines they took a step down even darker paths.
It was around 1430 that all was revealed. A man and wife, returning home from a fair were attacked by a small group of wild and ragged bandits. Both were dragged from their horse, and the woman's throat was cut. Her husband was armed with a sword and in a desperate fight across the moors he managed to keep the bandits at bay until other townspeople from the fair heard his screams, and chased off his attackers.
Within days, a local militia was summoned by King James I. Using Bloodhounds, they searched the area until they reached Bennane Cave, near Ballantrae, where the hounds picked up a scent that turned out to be rotting flesh. It was a huge cavern, with passages stretching back nearly a mile. It was also inaccessible at high tides. As the posse entered the cave, they fought running battles with ragged wildmen who charged them with daggers and threw stones.
Eventually the clan were overpowered by the militia. The bandits consisted of Sawney, his wife, their 14 children and several grandchildren. No new blood had entered the clan- it was a knotty little brood of incest. Around the walls of their cave were the preserved remains of half-eaten human bodies. The Beans had found the most efficient way of surviving the famines- and the bones of many victims were strewn around the floor.
There was no trial. The surviving Beans were taken to Leith, and executed summarily. The men were dismembered and left to bleed to death while the women were burned. There is no way of knowing how many the killed- traditional stories place the number at 1000.
(Debunking the debunkers.
Debunking sites are all the rage on the net. The trouble is that they're frequently even less reliable than tales they are attempting to debunk. If you look up the story of Sawney Bean, you'll find no shortage of accounts confidently stating that the tale of Sawney was a myth. The "proof" they use follows...
1- There are no records of any such actions of James I.
2- Tales of cannibalism were always used by the English to demean their imperial subjects as savages.
3- The tale of Sawney Bean was not first published until 1843.
4- It's just too fanciful to be true.
I'm not so convinced however. Here goes...
1- A schoolboy error. James I of England was James VI of Scotland, meaning they're looking for proof 200 years too late. These were 14th-15th century events, when records weren't so reliable.
2- They certainly were, but see point 3 above. By 1843 Queen Victoria was on the throne and her gusset was thoroughly moistened by all things Scottish. Everything north of the border was the height of cool at that time, and nobody was attempting to tar the Scots as a bunch of baby-eating brigands.
3- So it goes. Many events of the far past rely on oral history, and the fact that there was little documentation at the time doesn't mean it never happened. The tales of Sawney are highly consistent and the location is fixed and believeable.
4- Cannibalism, banditry, famine and murder were rife in Galloway at the time. It was a hard time in a hard country. In fact, I'm surprised there weren't more clans like Sawney's springing up. Maybe they were just unlucky and got caught...)
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