SCOTTISH CASTLES
Those familiar with Scotland’s most picturesque castles may recognize some of the features I have given to Normanna Hall as being a mixture of Terringzean Castle in East Ayrshire (circa 1696 and built by the Campbells of Loudoun), Auchinleck Castle in Monikie, Angus, Scotland (on record in 1501), and Doune Castle in Doune, Stirling, Scotland (circa 1400 and built by Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany), and a typical English estate. The MacBethan family had roots in both countries so the mix was necessary.
THE MURDER HOLE
A round pool near Loch Neldricken, a loch in Galloway to the southeast of Merrick, took on legendary qualities as “The Murder Hole” in Samuel Rutherford Crockett’s The Raiders. The novel is a romantic, loosely historical adventure story released in the 1890s. The legend has it that weary travelers and strangers to the Merrick Moor were caught, murdered, and dumped into the “Murder Hole.” Strangely, reeds reportedly grow around the hole’s perimeter but none grow within it. It is also rumored that even in the coldest winters, the water’s center never freezes. For excellent photos of this desolate area, visit Walkhighlands and read the article “The Old Grey Man, A Murder Hole, and the Merrick” (www.walkhighlands.co.uk).
SAWNEY BEAN
Alexander Sawney Bean was reportedly the head of a cannibalistic family residing along Scotland’s Ayrshire/Galloway coast during the 14th Century. According to the legend, Sawney was born in a small East Lothian village, approximately ten miles from Edinburgh. Unable to hold a job, he soon left home and took up with a woman who thought nothing of using devious methods to gain what she wanted.
With no legal means of supporting themselves, the Beans chose to live in a sea cave in Galloway. They maintained their family by robbing and murdering travelers and locals foolish enough to be caught on the roads at night.
Living incestuously, the Bean family grew to a total of six and forty. Over a twenty-five-year period, one thousand people are said to have lost their lives to the family. The Beans would cast the unwanted limbs of their victims in the sea to be washed up on the local beaches.
Unfortunately, the authorities of the time had few crime investigation skills available to them. In a time when people still believed in witches and vampires, many innocent people stood accused of Sawney’s crimes and lost their lives. As missing travelers were traced to the inns in which they had taken shelter, local innkeepers were often charged with the crimes. Needless to say, travelers began to shun the area.
As it grew in number, the Bean family attacked larger groups of travelers. Their cave was designed to hide their presence in the area, so they were able to attack and then retreat to the cave, which went almost a mile into the cliffs. In addition, the tide filled the opening so people never suspected the cave as a possible hideout.
The Beans were discovered when they attacked a couple returning from a local fayre. The man was able to plough his way through the band that attacked him, but the female cannibals had managed to pull his wife from her horse. According to the legend, the Beans ripped out the woman’s entrails and feasted on her along the road. When other revelers from the fayre appeared, the Beans retreated to their cave home. The revelers escorted the distraught husband to the authorities in Glasgow. Eventually, King James IV personally took charge of the case. With four hundred men, and bloodhounds in tow, the hunt for the culprits began in earnest.
From the bloody scene, the bloodhounds caught the scent and soon hit on the Beans’ location. Entering the cave, the searchers found dried human parts being cured like other meats, pickled limbs in barrels, and piles of valuables stolen over the years. The Beans were brought to Edinburgh in chains. They were incarcerated in the Tollbooth and taken the next day to Leith. Because of the severity of their crimes, the Beans were barbarically executed. The crowds cut off the men’s hands and feet and left the criminals to bleed to death. The Bean women were burned at the stake.
Many “experts” believe the story to be an eighteenth century fabrication, one found in the popular chapbooks and broadsheets of the time. In 1843, John Nicholson included the legend in lurid details in his Historical and Traditional Tales Connected with the South of Scotland. However, several local psychics claim the ghosts of Sawney Bean’s family haunt the area. The legend has become part of the Tourism and Heritage Trail. The cave is on the coast at Bennane Head between Lendalfoot and Ballantrae. There is a reconstruction of the cave at the Edinburgh Dungeon on Market Street, near the Waverly Bridge.
The “meat” of Sawney’s tale inspired Wes Craven’s “The Hills Have Eyes.” In 1994, a British film group attempted to finance a film based on the legend, but their efforts fell through. Snakefinger’s “The Ballad of Sawney Bean” was a part of Ralph Records “Potatoes” collection. For more fabulous tales of the macabre, visit Mysterious Britain and Ireland (www.mysteriousbritain.co.uk).
Other Ulysses Press Books
Darcy’s Passions: Pride and Prejudice Retold Through His Eyes
Regina Jeffers, $14.95
This novel captures the style and humor of Jane Austen’s novel while turning the entire story on its head. Darcy’s duty to his family and estate demand he choose a woman of high social standing. But after rejecting Elizabeth as being unworthy, he soon discovers he’s in love with her. When she rejects his marriage proposal, he must search his soul and transform himself into the man she can love and respect.
Christmas at Pemberley: A Pride and Prejudice Christmas Sequel
Regina Jeffers, $14.95
It’s Christmastime at Pemberley and the Darcys and Bennets have gathered to celebrate. Bitter feuds, old jealousies, and intimate secrets surface. En route home from a business trip, Darcy and Elizabeth are delayed by a blizzard and take shelter in an inn. As the Darcys comfort a young woman through a difficult labor, they’re reminded of the love, family spirit, and generosity that lie at the heart of Christmas.
Captain Wentworth’s Persuasion: Jane Austen’s Classic Retold Through His Eyes
Regina Jeffers, $14.95
Insightful and dramatic, this novel re-creates the original style, themes, and sardonic humor of Jane Austen’s novel while turning the entire tale on its head in a most engaging fashion. Readers hear Captain Wentworth’s side of this tangled story in the revelation of his thoughts and emotions.
The Phantom of Pemberley: A Pride and Prejudice Murder Mystery
Regina Jeffers, $14.95
Happily married, Darcy and Elizabeth can’t imagine anything interrupting their bliss-filled days. Then an intense snowstorm strands a group of travelers at Pemberley, and mysterious deaths begin to plague the manor. Everyone seems convinced that it is the work of a phantom who is haunting the estate. But Darcy and Elizabeth believe that someone is trying to murder them. Unraveling the mystery of the murderer’s identity forces the newlyweds to trust each other’s strengths and work together.
Vampire Darcy’s Desire: A Pride and Prejudice Adaptation
Regina Jeffers, $14.95
Tormented by a 200-year-old curse and his fate as a half-human/half-vampire dhampir, Mr. Darcy vows to live forever alone rather than inflict the horrors of life as a vampire on an innocent wife. But when he comes to Netherfield Park, he meets the captivating Elizabeth Bennet. As a man, Darcy yearns for Elizabeth, but as a vampire, he is also driven to possess her. Uncontrollably drawn to each other, they are forced to confront a “pride and prejudice” never before imagined—while wrestling with the seductive power of forbidden love.
To order these books call 800-377-2542 or 510-601-8301, fax 510-601-8307, e-mail [email protected], or write to Ulysses Press, P.O. Box 3440, Berkeley, CA 94703. All retail orders are shipped free of charge. California residents must include sales tax. Allow two to three weeks for delivery.
About the Author
REGINA JEFFERS, an English teacher for thirty-nine years, considers herself a Jane Austen enthusiast. She is the author of several novels, including Christmas at Pemberley, The Phantom of Pemberley, Darcy�
��s Passsions, Darcy’s Temptation, and Captain Wentworth’s Persuasion. A Time Warner Star Teacher and Martha Holden Jennings Scholar, Jeffers often serves as a consultant in language arts and media literacy. Currently living outside Charlotte, North Carolina, she spends her time with her writing.
Text copyright © 2012 Regina Jeffers. Design © 2012 Ulysses Press and its licensors. All rights reserved.
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eISBN : 978-1-612-43081-2
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The Disappearance of Georgiana Darcy: A Pride and Prejudice Mystery Page 39
