Picture find revives Sheffield legend of hero dog that rescued child from flood

It's certainly a dramatic and heartwarming tale.
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As a wall of water barrelled through the Loxley Valley in Sheffield on the night of March 11, 1864 after the embankment of the Dale Dyke Dam collapsed, a child nearly died tragically by being swept away in its cradle – and was only saved by the intervention of a dog named Rollo who swam through the torrent before pulling the baby to safety.

At least, that’s how the story goes – but there’s a frustrating lack of concrete proof.

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The claim has come to light again after a picture illustrating the event was uncovered at the Sheffield City Archives. The sentimental Victorian artwork is inscribed ‘A Faithful Friend – In Memory of the Great Sheffield Flood 1864’, and was found by staff at the archives on Shoreham Street.

Historian Mick Armitage, who researched the flood, wrote in 2001 that the ‘child in the cradle story’ had ‘long been told’.

“However, as the story is nowhere officially recorded, most authorities suspect it is purely fictional - or, at least, does not relate to the Sheffield flood,” he said.

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But a gold collar is in existence that really did belong to a dog called Rollo, kept by a Mr C Walker at the city's Philadelphia Steel Works. An inscription says it was ‘purchased by subscription’ and presented to the pet on March 12, 1864 – a day after the alleged rescue.

The picture of Rollo the dog who reportedly saved a child from the Sheffield flood of 1864. Image: Picture Sheffield.The picture of Rollo the dog who reportedly saved a child from the Sheffield flood of 1864. Image: Picture Sheffield.
The picture of Rollo the dog who reportedly saved a child from the Sheffield flood of 1864. Image: Picture Sheffield.
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In addition, it is believed a survivor named Mary North was told by her parents that she was the child rescued while floating in the water.

“When one considers there is no recorded information explaining the inscription on Rollo's collar, one cannot help but feel maybe there is some truth in the story and Rollo may have been the dog in question,” Mick said. “It may simply be that, for some unknown reason, details of this story were never written down.”

The dam’s collapse released 114 million cubic feet of water into the valley. Records show 240 people were drowned and around 4,000 houses were flooded.

The Sheffield City Archives are closed to the public to help enforce social distancing measures. However, the building’s staff have been taking part in an initiative called Explore Your Archive, which challenges institutions to post on Twitter about a different topic – this week’s theme is animals, in particular mammals.

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