Cannibal castle at heart of Mearns property sale

A Mearns property with grisly connections to Scotland’s dark past has gone up for sale.

In the 15th century, cannibal laird David Barclay boiled a sheriff in broth and built a hideout over the North Sea to escape retribution.

Now the ruins of his domain have been included in the £725,000 price tag for Rock Hall, near St Cyrus.

Bought as a ruin in 1998, it was turned into a family home by Andrew and Annie Hamilton, and has been run as a holiday let since 2008.

Complete with its own beach, slipway, ruins and caves it is being sold as a whole or in two lots by Strutt & Parker.

For more on the site’s macabre history, see Wednesday’s Courier or try our digital edition.