EXTREMIST

Sawney Bean

1600 - 1600

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Alexander "Sawney" Bean (sometimes also given as Sandy Bane, etc.) is a legendary figure, said to have been the head of a 45-member clan in Scotland in the 16th century that murdered and cannibalised over 1,000 people in 25 years. According to the legend, Bean and his clan members were eventually caught by a search party sent by King James VI, and were executed for their heinous crimes. The story appeared in The Newgate Calendar, a sensationalised crime catalogue loosely connected with Newgate Prison in London. It has since passed into folklore and become a part of the Edinburgh tourism circuit. Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Sawney Bean is the 50th most popular extremist (up from 55th in 2019), the 850th most popular biography from United Kingdom (down from 797th in 2019) and the most popular British Extremist.

Sawney Bean was a cannibal who lived in a cave in Scotland. He had 20 children with his wife, and they all ate human flesh.

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Among EXTREMISTS

Among extremists, Sawney Bean ranks 50 out of 283Before him are Peter Kürten, Nedeljko Čabrinović, George Habash, Nathuram Godse, Joseph Kony, and Jim Jones. After him are William Kemmler, Abu Nidal, Mohamed Atta, Butch Cassidy, Pavlik Morozov, and Tex Watson.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1600, Sawney Bean ranks 6Before him are Charles I of England, Pope Clement IX, Pedro Calderón de la Barca, Claude Lorrain, and Lorenzo Ruiz. After him are Marie de Rohan, False Dmitry II, Nicolas Sanson, Simeon Bekbulatovich, Gabriel Naudé, and Cristóbal de Morales. Among people deceased in 1600, Sawney Bean ranks 3Before him are Giordano Bruno, and Ishida Mitsunari. After him are Catharina van Hemessen, Konishi Yukinaga, Hosokawa Gracia, José de Acosta, Luis de Molina, Enrique of Malacca, Gaspar de Lemos, Margrave Andrew of Burgau, and Ōtani Yoshitsugu.

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In United Kingdom

Among people born in United Kingdom, Sawney Bean ranks 850 out of 8,785Before him are Cynegils (575), Sir Arthur Harris, 1st Baronet (1892), Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale (1864), Cecily Neville, Duchess of York (1415), Samuel Richardson (1689), and Eadwig (940). After him are Daniel Rutherford (1749), H. Rider Haggard (1856), Sean Bean (1959), Charles Frederick Worth (1825), John Nelson Darby (1800), and J. Bruce Ismay (1862).

Among EXTREMISTS In United Kingdom

Among extremists born in United Kingdom, Sawney Bean ranks 1After him are Emperor Norton (1818), John Haigh (1909), John Christie (1899), Harold Shipman (1946), Dennis Nilsen (1945), Fred West (1941), John Adams (1767), Peter Sutcliffe (1946), Mary Bell (1957), Jonathan Wild (1683), and Guy Burgess (1911).