Sawney Bean
The story of Sawney Bean is one of the most gruesome Scottish
legends, the plot of which would not look out of place in any
modern horror/slasher movie. Evidence suggests the tale dates to
the early 18th century.
The cave most readily associated with Sawney and his nefarious clan
is close to Ballantrae on Bennane head in Ayrshire, although other
sea caves along the Ayrshire and Galloway coast have also been
associated with the story.
The Legend
Sawney Bean was born in a small East Lothian village not ten miles
from Edinburgh. He began life as a hedger and ditcher, but, being
prone to idleness and inclined towards dishonesty he ran away from
home with a woman who was as viciously inclined as himself.
Having no means to make a living they set up home in a sea cave in
Galloway supporting themselves by robbing and murdering travellers
and locals, and surviving on their victim's pickled and salted
flesh. In time their family grew to an incestuous gang of 46 sons,
daughters, grandsons and granddaughters.
Their reign of terror did not go unnoticed: for one hundreds of
people went missing over the years, and secondly the Beans became
so successful in their butchery that they cast unwanted limbs into
the sea. These were washed up on distant and local beaches, much to
the horror of the coastal communities. In time the areas reputation
reached the ears of the authorities and, in these suspicious times,
many innocent people were executed for Sawney's crimes.
Sawney's family had by now grown very large and started to attack
larger groups, although never more than they thought they could
overwhelm. They were confident they would not be discovered: the
cave that they had chosen had kept them well hidden from prying
eyes. The tide passed right into the mouth of the cave, which went
almost a mile into the cliffs. It was estimated that in their
25-year reign of terror they had killed more than a thousand men
women and children.
They were finally discovered by fortunate chance: A man and his
wife were returning from a local fayre on horseback - the man in
front with his wife behind - when they were ambushed by the Bean
family. The husband put a furious struggle with his sword and
pistol and managed to plough through the villainous host.
Unfortunately his wife lost her balance and fell from the horse, to
be instantly butchered by the female cannibals, who ripped out her
entrails and started to feast on her blood. Her horrified husband
fought back even harder and was lucky that 30 or so other revellers
from the fayre came along the path. The Bean family made a hasty
retreat back to their hideout, as the man explained to the crowd
what had happened.
The husband went along with the group the magistrates, who in turn
told the King, James IV, who was so enthralled with the case that
he took personal charge.
Equipped with bloodhounds the King and a posse of 400 men made
their way to the scene of the slaughter and the hunt began. The
bloodhounds get all the credit for the capture of Sawney Bean: the
King's men did not notice the well-hidden cave but the dogs could
not ignore the strong smell of flesh that surrounded it. The men
entered the cave and found a horrible scene: dried parts of human
bodies were hanging all from the roof, pickled limbs lay in
barrels, and all around piles of money and trinkets from the
pockets of the dead lay in piles. The Beans made no attempt to
escape all were caught alive and brought to Edinburgh in chains,
where they were incarcerated in the Tollbooth, and the next day
taken to Leith. The people were horrified when they heard about the
crimes of Sawney Bean and his family and decided to give them a
punishment even more barbaric. The execution was a slow one: the
men bled to death after their hands and legs were cut off, and the
women were burned alive after they were forced to watch the
execution of the men.
Truth in the Tale?
The truth of the Sawney Bean legend is hard to confirm, but there
are many factors which suggest the story is an 18th Century
invention. It seems that the legend first saw print in the early
18th Century in the lurid broadsheets and chapbooks of the time.
These were mostly printed in England and it seems likely the tale
was probably an English invention to denigrate the Scots,
especially in the period of unrest that saw the Jacobite rebellion.
Another sticking point is that there are no contemporary records
from the time that even mention Sawney Bean.
To the cache:
From the carpark, facing the A77, head to the lefthand or northern
end. Cross the fence into the field and continue North shadowing
the road for Approx 50m. Eventually a more defined path will become
obvious leading downhill towards the headland. Follow the path as
it decends to the bay at the foot of the cliffs. **Please take care on this section particularly if
wet**. Once in the bay simply follow the arrow. The
co-ordinates refer to the mouth of the cave.The cache itself is
approximately 40/50 paces inside the cave.You should still see the
glow of the entrance.