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William II de Soules, also known as Bad Lord Soules, was a Scottish border noble during the Wars of Scottish Independence. Scottish lore maintains that a Soules was a practitioner of black magic being schooled with Michael Scot, the "wizard of the North." He is supposed to have made a pact with the Devil, and murdered people in exchange for power and wealth. Soules conducted his rituals in Hermitage Castle and they involved the sacrifice of animals that were the color black.
In his poem, Lord Soulis, poet John Leyden adapted the story of William II de Soules into a villain named Bad Lord Soules. Scott claims Soules had a familiar named Robin Redcap, a type of malevolent, murderous goblin commonly found in Scottish folklore. In retaliation for a long history of cruelty, locals boiled Lord Soules alive at Ninestane Rig. The more likely culprit would have been Sir Ranulf (Randolph) de Soules of Liddel (born c.1150 and murdered by his servants in 1207/8).