Alderman Hercules Clay​

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A man whose name sounds like he should be wrestling lions or lifting mountains, but instead, he was busy saving Newark-on-Trent from fiery doom.
 

Hercules Clay was born in 1595 in Sutton-in-Ashfield, Derbyshire.

He eventually moved to Newark-on-Trent, where he became a successful mercer (that's a fancy word for a cloth merchant) and a respected alderman. But it wasn't his business acumen that made him famous; it was his uncanny ability to predict disaster.
 

During the English Civil War, Newark was a Royalist stronghold, and in 1644, it was under siege by the Parliamentarian army. Picture this: cannons booming, soldiers shouting, and poor Hercules Clay having the same nightmare three nights in a row.
 

In his dream, his house was on fire. Now, most people would chalk it up to too much cheese before bed, but not Hercules. He took it as a divine warning.
 

Deciding not to tempt fate, Hercules moved his family out of their home. And wouldn't you know it, on the night of March 11, 1644, a fireball from a siege machine set his house ablaze23. Talk about timing!

Thanks to his prophetic dreams, Hercules and his family were safe and sound, probably watching the whole thing from a safe distance and thinking, "Well, that escalated quickly."

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But Hercules wasn't just a man of dreams; he was a man of action. Grateful for their miraculous escape, he left a bequest in his will to provide penny loaves for the poor of Newark every year on the anniversary of the fire.

This act of generosity is still commemorated today with the annual Penny Loaf Day. Every year, on the Sunday closest to March 11th, the town holds a special service, where small loaves of bread are distributed to local charities. It's a touching tribute to a man who turned a terrifying experience into a lasting legacy of kindness.

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Hercules Clay passed away just ten months after the siege, but his story lives on.

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There's even a plaque in Newark marking the site of his house, which reads, "Here stood the house of Hercules Clay. Destroyed March 11th, 1644, during the second siege of Newark by a bomb aimed at the Governor's Residence.

The Alderman thrice dreamed of the destruction of his home, and consequently removed his family to a place of safety".

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So, next time you find yourself in Newark-on-Trent, keep an eye out for the plaque commemorating Hercules Clay. And if you happen to be there in March, you might just get a taste of history with a penny loaf. Just remember, sometimes it's the dreams we take seriously that can make all the difference!