Sawney Bean was said to have been the head of a criminal, cannibalistic family in 15th century Scotland. Legend has it that he, his wife and 46 children and grandchildren killed and ate over a thousand people before they were captured and executed. Alexander Bean was born in East Lothian (Scottish Gaelic: Lodainn an Ear) during the 1500s. After he married the couple went to live in a coastal cave in Bennane Head at the northern end of Ballantrae Bay, 11 miles (17 km) southwest of Girvan in South Ayreshire (Scottish Gaelic: Siorrachd Inbhir Àir a Deas).
They and their family lived in the deep hidden cave, the entrance of which was blocked by water during high tides, for twenty-five years. During that time they were said to have been responsible for the murder and cannibalisation of over 1,000 people. At night time the family would go out hunting for individuals of groups of people. They would ambush, rob and murder them, then bring their bodies back to the cave, where they were dismembered and eaten. The leftovers were pickled to provide food another day. Although the discarded body parts would sometimes wash up on nearby beaches and the mysterious disappearance of people was of great concern to local people, the existence of the clandestine clan remained unknown.
