Alexander "Sawney" Bean - Sawney Bean in popular media

Alexander "Sawney" Bean (or Beane), Sawny is Scots for Sandy - was the legendary patron head of a cannibalistic family in Scotland in the 15th century. It is claimed that he, his wife, and their 46 children and grandchildren killed and fed on over a thousand people before they were captured and brutally executed. The story appears in the Newgate Calendars, a catalogue of crimes and criminals who passed through the notorious Newgate Prison in London. Although some historians believe that Sawney Bean never ex ...

Including:

• Alexander "Sawney" Bean - Beginnings
• Alexander "Sawney" Bean - Family life and cannibalism
• Alexander "Sawney" Bean - Capture & execution
• Alexander "Sawney" Bean - Sources & veracity
• Alexander "Sawney" Bean - Sawney Bean in popular media

Read more here: » Alexander "Sawney" Bean: Encyclopedia - Alexander "Sawney" Bean

Whatever the truth, the grim legend has entered the folklore of the British Isles. Alexander "Sawney" Bean and his cannibalistic family are largely considered just a myth, mostly because of a notable lack of written sources. It is thought that a crime this major and long lasting which ended with King James I himself hunting down the perpetrator would have generated some historical records, but so far none have appeared. There is also some uncertainty over which king ...

See also:

Alexander "Sawney" Bean, Alexander "Sawney" Bean - Beginnings, Alexander "Sawney" Bean - Family life and cannibalism, Alexander "Sawney" Bean - Capture & execution, Alexander "Sawney" Bean - Sources & veracity, Alexander "Sawney" Bean - Sawney Bean in popular media

Read more here: » Alexander "Sawney" Bean: Encyclopedia II - Alexander "Sawney" Bean - Sources & veracity

After 25 years of undiscovered terror, the outlaw life led by Sawney and his family came to an abrupt end. One night they laid a trap for a man and his wife who were returning from a local fair by riding through the woods. The Beans ambushed the couple, just as they had always done, but this time the husband proved to be a surprisingly tough opponent, and managed to hold off the entire family ...

See also:

Alexander "Sawney" Bean, Alexander "Sawney" Bean - Beginnings, Alexander "Sawney" Bean - Family life and cannibalism, Alexander "Sawney" Bean - Capture & execution, Alexander "Sawney" Bean - Sources & veracity, Alexander "Sawney" Bean - Sawney Bean in popular media

Read more here: » Alexander "Sawney" Bean: Encyclopedia II - Alexander "Sawney" Bean - Capture & execution

At first, Beane and his wife supported themselves as brigands by waylaying and murdering travellers, stealing their money and hoarding their valuables. They used only the money they took from their victims because valuables could be more easily recognised. Alexander Bean and his wife soon produced a large family of children, and later grandchildren who were all the product of incest. Before they met their grisly end, the family consisted of eight sons, six daughters ...

See also:

Alexander "Sawney" Bean, Alexander "Sawney" Bean - Beginnings, Alexander "Sawney" Bean - Family life and cannibalism, Alexander "Sawney" Bean - Capture & execution, Alexander "Sawney" Bean - Sources & veracity, Alexander "Sawney" Bean - Sawney Bean in popular media

Read more here: » Alexander "Sawney" Bean: Encyclopedia II - Alexander "Sawney" Bean - Family life and cannibalism

According to lore and legend, Alexander Bean was born in East Lothian during the reign of King James I of Scotland (the early 15th century); however, some sources date the tale to earlier eras. His father was a ditch digger and a hedge trimmer, and Bean tried to take up the family profession, but quickly realised that he had little taste for honest work. Bean left home with a woman (according to one version, she was a witch called Black Agnes Douglas, and they were run out of town) who shared his views on honest labour. They eventuall ...

See also:

Alexander "Sawney" Bean, Alexander "Sawney" Bean - Beginnings, Alexander "Sawney" Bean - Family life and cannibalism, Alexander "Sawney" Bean - Capture & execution, Alexander "Sawney" Bean - Sources & veracity, Alexander "Sawney" Bean - Sawney Bean in popular media

Read more here: » Alexander "Sawney" Bean: Encyclopedia II - Alexander "Sawney" Bean - Beginnings