Clifton Tales
A Millennium of Memories: Two Faces of Clifton
In a village where the stones have stood for over a thousand years, the line between history and hearsay inevitably begins to blur
Over ten centuries of winters and weddings, certain stories have refused to fade into the soil, weaving themselves instead into the very fabric of our community. These are the whispers passed down through generation - tales that capture the spirit, the shadows, and the enduring mysteries of our village home.
The Eccentric Clifton Church Rector
At the beginning of the century, Rosslyn Bruce became the rector of St. Mary's Clifton Church. A relative of Hervey Bruce, the owner of the Clifton estates, Rosslyn was a likable eccentric with a profound passion for animals. In 1906, he authored The Clifton Book , a copy of which can still be found in the Nottingham library, covering all aspects of the area and the Clifton family.
Under his care, the rectory grounds took on the appearance of a small zoo. He kept horses, mice, monkeys, snakes, doves, ferrets, fox terriers, and even a bear and an elephant! Bruce would often walk the village with a small creature concealed in his clothing to the delight of the local children, and he even worked his smaller animals into his sermons—frequently producing a dove from his pocket to "illustrate the flight of love."
The rector was also known for a phenomenally violent sneeze that would shake his house and end in "a sustained and triumphant roar." In a final claim to fame, his sister was married to the legendary British Antarctic explorer, Captain Robert Falcon Scott.
The Tale of the Turf Cross and the Gamekeeper
In The Clifton Book, Rosslyn Bruce describes a cross cut into the grass next to "the road to Nottingham about 150 yards from the green." The cross was a memorial to the Clifton estate's gamekeeper, Samuel Daykin, who died in the execution of his duty. It marked the spot where, in the early hours of the 5th of June, 1893, Daykin challenged a group of poachers. They responded by shooting him dead.
The group was subsequently captured, and the trial attracted significant publicity. However, the courts found them not guilty on the technicality that Daykin had been carrying a gun and the poachers had merely fired in self-defense. Shockingly, the acquitted men were treated as heroes by the townsfolk. They celebrated the acquittal with a brass band-led parade through the streets of Nottingham, with the poachers leading the way!
Perhaps the Nottingham people felt the gamekeeper represented an unpopular authority figure; maybe they believed that Daykin had fired first, or perhaps it simply serves as a grim example of the morality of the day. Regardless, the people of Clifton clearly felt the shooting was unjust; the memorial turf cross was faithfully maintained for forty-seven years after the incident, ending only with the social upheaval of the Second World War. Soon after the shooting, Daykin's widow was provided with a cottage by the then-Clifton manor holder, Sir Hervey Bruce
Share Your Own Story
Do you have a family legend, an old photograph, or a "village myth" passed down by your grandparents?
Folklore is a living thing, and the best tales are often the ones
told over a kitchen table rather than found in a library.
We are always looking for more stories to add to this collection. If you have a memory or a tale of Clifton’s past that deserves to be preserved, please get in touch! Whether it’s a ghostly encounter, a local hero, or just a quirky bit of village gossip from years gone by, we’d love to hear from you.
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