Shadow of the Gun

[Clayton]

After delaying for so long, I have finally decided to post a character history for Clayton. After researching the original books that the film was based off of, I created a family tree of the Claytons. It was a great help as many of the family's first names are similar.

I will post the first part as soon as I get it finalized.

EDIT: To avoid so much confusion, I changed the name of Clayton's son from William Cecil Arthur Clayton (whew! mouthful) to Phillip Clayton.

**Apologies to any die hard Burroughs fans, as this is not pure character fact, but a mixture of Burroughs, Disney and my own interrpertation.

[Chernabog]

sooooo which one are you?
are you Clayton..Clayton? O.o

[esmeralda]

Very impressive I look forward to read the family history

[Basil]

Have you ever read Tarzan Alive by Philip Jose Farmer?

I'm a huge fan of the Burroughs novels, & I'm thrilled that you include the fact in your character that Tarzan is a Clayton. Anyway, this book contains a gigantic family tree linking Tarzan with (practically) every fictional adventurer in literary history.

Of course it's not canon, and I'm not suggesting you change your own ideas for Clayton one iota. I only thought you might be interested.

Tarzan Rules!

[Clayton]

[[I haven't read that Basil, but it sounds interesting.

Actually as I was researching the family tree (I downgraded it to bare bones so it was easier to follow), I discovered that Clayton and Tarzan are related to Phileas Fogg of Around the World in 80 Days! It's actually pretty entertaining.]]


Chapter One

William Cecil Clayton was a man of good fortune and bad luck. The middle child of his family, William was due to a life of privilage from his father Jesse, the 4th Lord of Greystroke. Darling John was the first born, and there for the most equipt to carry on the family title. In accustom, the eldest child, the title holder, would inheriate all of the previous Lord’s wealth on the occasion of his death. John would be sitting pretty for his remaining years, while his other siblings took advantages of the riches while they could.

The youngest, Joane, was “daddy’s little girl.” Most of their parent’s free time was spent training Joane in etiquette so she could enter the strict London social scene. It was always a parents dream for their daughter, particularly if she was the only girl, to marry into a great family. Joane didn’t disappoint them, marrying into a very well to do family in her late teens.

In this way, William faded into the background.

He would not stay there for very long, however. William, fed up with the lack of proper attention from his parents, had run away from home at age fifteen and joined a shipping crew as a cabin boy. He did not reveal his true name nor family title, despite knowledge that it would help him rise in the ranks. His father had done little to help him previously, so why should he expect anything now? Under an alias, William made his own way doing odd jobs until he was old enough to serve in the Royal Navy. But this time in his life would serve him well as he developed contacts of a most shady nature.

The very summer that he entered, William received a letter from his sister. Their father, Lord Jesse Clayton, had been killed in a car accident. It was rummered that John had gotten tired of waiting so long for his inheritance, but this claim was never proven true. All the same, John Clayton received the family wealth and title of Lord Greystroke, the 5th in the line. But things were not as easy as all that. His father’s alcohol addiction and the cost of marrying off Joane had take a heavy toll on the family’s wealth. While his brother John was in a much better state than William himself, he was a far cry from the granduer that his parents had grown up in.

[[To be continued . . . .]]

[esmeralda]

((Awwww. Pauvre Monsieur Clayton! *Snugglehugs Clayton* ))

[Basil]

Phileas Fogg? Hero of my number one favorite novel ever? (Yes, even better than Tarzan) Alright!

Fogg is one guy who is actually missing from the family tree I was talking about. Although Mr. Darcy, the Scarlet Pimpernel, Raffles, and Sherlock Holmes (another fave of mine) are all there.

Did you watch the Tarzan TV series? Clayton's sister appears in one ep, though I forget her name.

[vitani]

whoa whoa whoa hold on a minute! Unless I'm not seeing this right, but Clayton MARRIED Jane?! I'm confused because Clayton died in the movie and Tarzan- on I see... so how is Tarzan related to Clayton? Long lost cousins?

-Vitani-

[Clayton]

To Basil:

Yeah, he's related to Fogg. I was surprised too. Perhaps I'll update to include the entire family tree.

I have watched bits and pieces of the series and I do remember the episode that with Clayton's sister. She's as bad as her brother was, poisoning Tarzan for revenge. In the series her name was Lady Waltman, but its not the same as his true sister, listed in the family tree above.

To Vitani:

Yes, Clayton and Tarzan are cousins. In the novels, Jane was a love interest of Clayton (I believe that they were engaged, right?) but this is not shown in the Disney version.

Will get a Part Two up once I find the oppertunity. Busy getting ready for school to start again.

[Basil]

Apropos of nothing, I wish Disney would make an animated feature out of Around the World in 80 Days. None of the film versions to date have done it justice, IMHO.

Hand-drawn, not CGI.

[Lady]

Oh wow, this is great research! Good job, Clayton! ;D
And I had no idea that Clayton and Jane were love interests! that makes things a whole lot more complicated! Although looking back at the movie, they do leave little inklings.

I haven't read any of the books - are they good?

[Basil]

The first Tarzan book is one of my all-time favorite novels. It's actually the book that started me on my love of reading.

There are a lot of sequels, and some of the later ones are not as good. But, oh, that original!!