Barrows Family

The Barrows/Burroughs Family are an important family in the Clock Tower series, specifically Clock Tower: The First Fear, Clock Tower and Clock Tower 3.

While many members serve as antagonists, the morality of the family is complex and not black-and-white, just like how real people hold differing opinions and values, and it would be too easy to label the Barrows family as an "evil family" and nothing more. Some of the descendants of the family, such as Jennifer Simpson and Alyssa Hamilton are shown to have kind and empathetic personalities. Simon Barrows was also mentioned as a kind master before he lost his sanity as a result of his wife's actions. It is also mentioned there was a power struggle within the family.

History[]

The Barrows Family[]

The Barrows family were Lord Wardens of the Marches who guarded and ruled the border between England and Scotland. The Barrows family were "retainers of the Percys". Many members of the family believed in a 6000 year old religion.

Theodore Barrows was the first lord of the Barrows family. Having fought in the Hundred Years' War, he built the Barrows Castle in the mid-15th century afterwards. Theodore was part of a demonic cult who praised a god called "Great Father" and was very afraid of death. As a result, he would abduct children within the country of England and use them in demonic rituals, some of which include cannibalism and massacre; as he believed that he would gain immortality by doing so. However, this only left a curse within the Barrows family: for each generation of the Barrows, a demonic child would be born into the family and continue the massacre Theodore had started many years ago.

John barrows — The mummy of John Barrows.

Quintin Barrows, the head of the household of the 13th generation of the Barrows, lived in the Barrows Castle. According to a "local fairy tale", Quintin had a son named John Barrows, the very first Scissorman who terrorized and killed children within the vicinity of northern England. However, John was then killed by his own father, who opposed of his son's massacre. As a result, Quintin was marked by his household as a "traitor". Nevertheless, he created a spell that can be used to exorcise devil children, like his son. According to the Japanese novelization, Quintin was later assassinated by the demonic cult his family had followed for generations.

After his death, there was a power struggle within the Barrows clan, likely as a result of those who supported the Great Father and those who did not. Due to a peasant uprising at the beginning of the twentieth century, the Barrowses were ousted from their castle, and they moved across the sea to Norway, where all was quiet for eighty years.

But then, by Simon Barrows' day, the accursed Barrows blood reared its head again, threatening to produce yet more monsters. Aware of this, Simon resolved to fight the dark god; he fired all his servants and steadily made his preparations for his battle.

The Burroughs Family[]

Lord Darcy Burroughs was a titanic landowner in the 17th century, owning much of south-east England. He was the husband of Natalya Burroughs and father of William and Annabel, although William was from his first marriage.

The origins of Ralph and Jemima, the siblings who served Lord Burroughs, are unknown. Accounts relate that Burroughs picked them up on the battlefield, or that they were brought over from the Orient. However, none of these stories are more than hearsay.

Despite his harsh reputation, Lord Burroughs loved his daughter dearly, bequeathing all his lands to her upon his death. He wanted to be one with his beloved daughter, Annabel, and to inherit the almighty powers of the Entities when he was 50 years old using the Ritual of Engagement.

However, his daughter died before her fifteenth birthday in a carriage crash. Shocked by the sudden death of his beloved daughter, as well as his inability to realize the Ritual, Burroughs fell into a deep depression. When his despair finally dissipated, it was replaced by raging anger.

In his grief and anger, he slaughtered the coachmen of the carriage, Annabel's maid and then the people of his lands. Lady Burroughs did what she could to convince him to stop the savagery but only succeeded in inflaming him further, and she, too, was killed by him. Lord Burroughs collected a total of 115 victims and being sentenced to 2280 years. The scissor siblings were horrendously cruel by nature, and it is said that they were the torturers and executioners during Lord Burroughs' bloody campaign. Showing a peculiar fascination for blades and in particular, scissors, they found endless enjoyment in gutting or dismembering victims while still alive.

Lord Burroughs eventually died, crushed between the Clock Tower's (the Burroughs Castle) cogs, while escaping mobs of angry farmers who rebelled against him. According to legend, he vowed to plague the world with hate and terror for as long as the Clock Tower remained standing. When Lord Burroughs was finally killed, Ralph and Jemima were stoned to death by the crowds.

William was the son of Darcy's first marriage (he is not the biological son of Natalya Burroughs) and the half-brother of Annabel Burroughs. He resided in the Burroughs Castle until the time after his sister's death, where his father began to massacre much of his staff, villagers, and eventually William's mother. After Darcy's demise. William escaped, changed his name to "Billy Brown," and lived out the rest of his days in peace.

Residences[]

Burroughs Castle[]

Main article: Burroughs Castle

ClockTowel — Alyssa in Burroughs Castle in *Clock Tower 3*.

While it seems to be located where the Hamilton House is, it is possible this is only a manifestation in a realm. Dick Hamilton searched all of Europe for it and mentions he found it but doesn't say where.

During Clock Tower 3, it is somehow raised and then destroyed in the ending, apparently replaced by a field of clovers.

Barrows Castle[]

Main article: Barrows Castle

The castle was built in mid-15th century by Theodore Barrows, the first lord of the Barrows family. the very first Scissorman was born in this castle, called "Little John" and started to kill the children and people within the country. He was then stopped and killed by his father, Quintin Barrows.

After learning of the Barrows Castle either from Rick or through research in the Municipal Library, Jennifer Simpson, Helen Maxwell, and a group of people from the University Research Building traveled to the castle to find clues regarding the statue as well the key to kill Scissorman.

At the climax of the game, the castle collapsed due to its old age as well the Door Spell being activated by either Jennifer (Jennifer's Scenario) or Helen (Helen's Scenario).

According to the Japanese novelization, located in northern England, the castle stands on a cliff facing the English Channel. This contradicts a map shown in the game, which seems to imply the castle is located in southern England, specifically, in or near London.

Barrows Mansion[]

Main article: Barrows Mansion

The Barrows Mansion appears in the first game and is mentioned numerous times in the second. The mansion is located in the mountains of Romsdalen, Norway, its most notable feature being a large clock tower which faces South-East. One of the wings of the mansion is revealed to be in heavy disrepair. There is also a large courtyard in the middle of the square-shaped structure, along with a swimming pool. In the main foyer is a stained glass skylight in the ceiling.

The mansion was owned by Simon Barrows, a wealthy recluse, who adopted four young girls in September of 1995: Laura Harrington, Ann, Jennifer Simpson, and Lotte. The girls were escorted to the mansion by a social worker named Mary, who was later revealed to be Simon's treacherous wife and the mother of Bobby Barrows, the disfigured young boy terrorizing Jennifer and the other girls. Simon was later discovered, imprisoned in a small cage and fed scraps by his wife, as though he were an animal. In fact, Mary had actually brought the girls as offerings to her son, who was the product of a pact made with an otherworldly entity, implied when Jennifer discovers the letter her father had written to her, as well as the hidden occult room in the mansion.

The estate is haunted and plagued by numerous supernatural occurrences, in particular: moving mannequins and dolls, bleeding paintings and walls, and maggots and blood pouring from faucets. Some of these occurrences, such as the movement of inanimate objects, such as mannequins and furniture, could have been due to the presence of Mary's other son, Dan Barrows, who was hidden within a system of subterranean tunnels beneath the mansion. When Jennifer finally discovers him, Dan appears as a humongous, gelatinous, and deformed infant, covered in veins and fluid. This is later revealed to only be a shield for the real Dan, who was actually an attractive blonde boy with telekinetic and psychic abilities.

Following the explosion in the tunnels, the mansion likely suffered damage to its foundation and supports.

Members/descendants of the family[]

15th century:

Theodore Barrows

17th century:

Darcy Burroughs/The Dark Gentleman
Natalya Burroughs (wife of Darcy)
William Burroughs (son of Darcy's first marriage, Natalya is not his mother)
Annabel Burroughs (daughter of Darcy and Natalya)

18th century:

Quintin Barrows
John Barrows (son of Quintin)

20th/21st century:

Simon Barrows (husband of Mary)
Mary Barrows (likely married into the family)
Bobby Barrows (son of Mary)
Dan Barrows/Edward (son of Mary)
Jennifer Simpson (through her mother's side)

Dick Hamilton/The Dark Gentleman (descendant of William Burroughs)
Francesca Hamilton (wife of Dick; married into family)
Nancy Hamilton (daughter of Dick)
Alyssa Hamilton (daughter of Nancy)

Some of the Rooders may have origins in the Barrows family, due to the close links between the Barrows family and the Hamilton family.

Trivia []

Because there is no official English translation for The First Fear, their family name is debated. Even Clock Tower and Clock Tower 3 is inexplicably inconsistent with Barrows and Burroughs. Hifumi Kono also once used "Burrows" in reference to the family.
- In the Japanese version of Clock Tower, the voice actors refer to the Barrows family as the Barlow family throughout the entire game, probably because R and L are interchangeable in Japanese. Because of it, it can be theorized that "Barrows" is a mistranslation, although there is no proof of this.
Haunting Ground is often theorized by fans to have been originally developed as Clock Tower 4, although it is unknown how much (if any) developers who worked on Haunting Ground were involved with the Clock Tower series. The Belli family may have originally intended to be the Barrows family, or merely a homage to it.