Alice Clayton, Lady Greystoke was the mother of Tarzan. She was killed by Sabor, a leopard, shortly after giving birth to her son. She was introduced in the novel "Tarzan of the Apes" (1912) and her death has been adapted in various media, including the Disney film of 1999.
Her role was expanded in "Tarzan Alive: A Definitive Biography of Lord Greystoke" (1972) by Philip Jose Farmer. The novel gives her the last name Rutherford and expands on her family history. According to it, Alice was a daughter of George Rutherford, 13th Baron Tennington and his wife Marguerite Grosvenor Blakeney. Through her mother, Alice was a great-granddaughter of Sir Percy Blakeney (Scarlet Pimpernel) and the actress Alice Clarke Raffles. She married John Clayton, heir to a Duke.
Her husband served for some time as Captain of Pioneers of the "Corps of Madras Sappers and Miners" in British India. He was mauled by a tiger and send back to the British islands. Then appointed Investigator-Commissioner for the Colonial Office in West Africa. Alice and her husband sailed to Africa but the ship sunk in 1888. They survived but were reported missing at sea. They were actually killed a year later.
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