Random Legendary Scottish Family That Allegedly Killed And Cannibalized 1,000 Innocent People (14 items)

(#8) Sawney Bean Was Caught After Botching The Murder of A Married Couple

Though their macabre crimes went on for 25 long years, the Sawney Bean clan's reign of terror eventually came to an end. According to legend, the clan attacked a married couple returning from a fair and killed the woman, but the man fought back. In some versions of the story, he had a sword and/or pistol on him; in others, he had a horse that he used to plow through the attackers. Whatever the weapons, the man escaped, notifying others of the clan's location near the cave. After 25 years, the Sawney Bean clan was exposed, and investigations began.
(#14) The Story May All Be Anti-Jacobite Propaganda

Though it's a riveting story, many historians believe that Sawney Bean may be nothing more than propaganda. His name comes from a stereotypical name used by English press (the equivalent of calling an Irish man 'Paddy') a strong indicator the story was meant to demonize the Scots, especially in light of the Jacobite risings. Portraying the Scots as brutal, incestuous cannibals strengthened contemporary anti-Scottish sentiment, and the first written stories of Sawney Bean are from 1775—just 30 years after the rising, but hundreds of years after the cannibal was allegedly active. A story based on the evilness of the Scots likely sold well to an English audience predisposed to believing they were barbaric.
(#7) Innkeepers Often Took The Blame For Missing Bean Clan Victims

Sawney Bean's murders didn't go unnoticed, even if nobody knew the culprit. In fact, innkeepers were often accused of murdering the missing people, since they were the last known to have seen them alive. As the rumors went, innkeepers robbed and murdered guests, likely while they were sound asleep. Because these rumors threatened business, many innkeepers were forced to quit their professions and move away, which was a significant undertaking at the time.
(#12) One Of Bean's Daughters Escaped And Was Hanged By A Town

A legend within this legend is the story of Elspeth, a Sawney Bean clan member who supposedly left the group and tried to live a normal life. She moved to a nearby town called Girvan and planted a tree near her new home, which came to be called The Hairy Tree. When the Bean clan was arrested, her past came to light. Elspeth Bean was hung from The Hairy Tree despite her desire to escape her terrible past.
(#10) The Clan Was Brutally Executed

Considering the sadistic nature of the Sawney Bean clan's crimes, it's no surprise their execution was exceptionally violent. Given the amount of bodies found in their cave, there was no trial, and the entire clan was put to death the day after they arrived in Edinburgh. The men were dismembered and left to bleed to death while the women watched, and the women were burned as witches.
(#6) The Bean Clan Pickled Human Meat To Preserve It

If the legends are factual, the Sawney Bean clan would have killed an average of 40 people per year. That's a lot of meat, even for 45 people. It's said they preserved what they couldn't eat by pickling and salting leftovers. Not everything stayed in their food stores, however. Preserved body parts were said to wash up on nearby shores, giving local towns some idea of the fates of their missing loved ones.