Tichborne Claimant was the 19th-century case of Arthur Orton (1834–1898), an impostor who claimed to be missing heir Sir Roger Tichborne (1829–1854). Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... An impostor (or imposter, a common variant) is a person who pretends to be somebody else. ...

Sir Roger Tichborne was born January 5, 1829, in Paris as the eldest son of a baronet and heir to the Roman Catholic Hampshire family of Tichborne. King James I of England had made his ancestor Sir John Tichborne, sheriff of Southampton, a baronet in 1621. His father was James Francis Doughty-Tichborne and his mother French-born lady Henriette Felicite. January 5 is the 5th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1829 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... A baronet (traditional abbreviation Bart, modern abbreviation Bt) is the holder of a title, similar to a knighthood except that it is hereditary, known as a baronetcy. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... Hampshire (abbr. ... James VI of Scots and James I of England and Ireland (Charles James) (19 June 1566–27 March 1625) ruled England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. ... Jump to: navigation, search Civic Centre, Southampton Southampton is a city and major port situated on the south coast of England. ...

Due to his mother, who did not appreciate England very much, Sir Roger mainly spoke French. In fact, he lived with her mother in France till the age of 16. James Tichborne had to claim that the boy was going to a funeral in England before his mother would let him leave. In 1849 he went to Stonyhurst College and later that year joined the 6th Dragoon Guards in Dublin. Apparently his French accent caused ridicule, and he sold his commission in 1852. Next year he left for South America. From Valparaíso he crossed the Andes and arrived in Rio de Janeiro in 1854. In April, on his way back home, his ship was lost at sea with all hands, and he was pronounced dead the next year. The title and the estates passed to his younger brother Sir Alfred Joseph Doughty-Tichborne (who died 1866). Stonyhurst College is a Jesuit School in Lancashire. ... A light dragoon from the American Revolution Statue of a dragoon on the Triumph Arc of the Louvres in Paris A dragoon was traditionally a soldier trained to fight on foot, but transport himself on horseback. ... Dublin (Irish: Baile Átha Cliath), is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Ireland, located near the midpoint of Irelands east coast, at the mouth of the River Liffey and at the centre of the Dublin region. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... Port of Valparaíso, Chile Valparaíso is one of the main seaports of Chile, on the Pacific Ocean, and the capital of the Valparaíso Region. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Ipanema beach Cristo Redentor Rio de Janeiros waterfront and the Morro de Castello from the Ilha das Cobras in 1919 by Harriet Chalmers Adams A NASA satellite image of Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro (meaning River of January in Portuguese) is the name of both a state and...

However, his mother refused to admit that her only son was dead. She sent inquiries all over the world, and in November 1865, she received a letter from a Sydney lawyer who claimed that a man supposedly fitting the description of her son was living as a butcher in Wagga Wagga, Australia. Jump to: navigation, search Sydney is the capital city of the Australian state of New South Wales and Australias largest and oldest city (founded in 1788). ... Categories: Stub | Cooking | Food preparation and serving related occupations | Food preparation occupations ... Wagga Wagga New South Wales, Australia, lies on the Murrumbidgee River and is that states largest inland city as well as being an important agricultural, military, educational and transport hub. ...

The supposed Sir Roger was actually Arthur Orton, who at the time used the name Tom Castro. Aside from some facial resemblance to Tichborne, he did not fit the description at all. Instead of sharp features and black hair, he had round features and light brown hair. He was also fat and did not speak a word of French. His first letter referred to facts Lady Tichborne did not recognise. However, Lady Tichborne was desperate enough to accept him as her son and sent him money to come to her.

Orton was reluctant to go at first, presumably because he feared exposure, but his associates—one of which was an old friend of Sir Roger's father—made him change his mind. Sir Roger's former black servant Ben Bogle accompanied him on his trip to Britain. He arrived in London on Christmas Day 1866 and visited the Tichborne estates. There he met the Tichborne family solicitor Edward Hopkins and Francis J. Baigent who became his supporters. When in January he travelled to the Paris hotel where Lady Tichborne was living, the desperate lady "recognised" him instantly as her son. She even handed him Sir Roger's letters from South America. The fact that Orton did not understand a word of French did bother her, and she gave him an allowance of £1,000 a year. Orton researched Sir Roger's life to enforce his imposture. The term Blacks is often used in the West to denote race for persons whose progenitors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Sub-Saharan Africa. ... The clock tower of the Palace of Westminster, which contains Big Ben London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England. ... Jump to: navigation, search Christmas (literally, the Mass of Christ) is a holiday in the Christian calendar, usually observed on December 25, which celebrates the birth of Jesus. ... This article needs to be wikified. ... Jump to: navigation, search The Eiffel Tower has become a symbol of Paris throughout the world. ... A hotel is an establishment that provides lodging, usually on a short-term basis. ...

After Lady Tichborne's acceptance, various other acquaintances of Sir Roger accepted him as well. They included other officers of the 6th Dragoons, several county families and Hampshire villagers. He even hired a group of menservants who had served in the 6th Dragoons. Hampshire (abbr. ...

Other members of the Tichborne family were not so gullible and promptly declared him an impostor. Their investigators found out that this Tom Castro was a butcher's son from Wapping and had jumped ship in Valparaíso, Chile, where he had taken the name Castro from a friendly family. Orton had even inquired about his family members in Wapping when he had come back from Australia. They also found many other discrepancies when Orton tried to fit his own South American experiences to those of Sir Roger. An impostor (or imposter, a common variant) is a person who pretends to be somebody else. ... Wapping is a place in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. ...

When Lady Tichborne died, Orton lost his most prominent supporter. He would have probably stopped the charade if it had not been for the fact that he owed a significant amount of money to his creditors. (He sold "Tichborne Bonds" to pay the legal costs when he tried to claim his inheritance from the Tichborne family.) The rightful heir at the time, Sir Henry Alfred Joseph Doughty-Tichborne, was only two years old. A creditor is a party (e. ... For other uses, see inheritance (disambiguation). ...

The trial began in the Court of Common Pleas on May 11, 1871, and lasted 102 days. Orton weathered the attacks against the discrepancies in his story and his outright ignorance of many key facts Sir Roger would have known. Over 100 people vouched for his identity as Sir Roger—except Orton's brother who claimed otherwise. Eventually Sir John Coleridge revealed the whole case in a cross-examination that lasted 22 days, and the evidence of the Tichborne family eventually convinced the jury. The case was closed on March 5, 1872, when Orton's solicitor Ballantine gave up, and Orton lost his upper-class supporters. In United States jurisprudence, Court of Common Pleas is a term referring to a court of certain jurisdiction. ... Jump to: navigation, search May 11 is the 131st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (132nd in leap years). ... Jump to: navigation, search 1871 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... John Duke Coleridge, 1st Baron Coleridge (3 December 1820- 14 June 1894), Lord Chief Justice of England, was the eldest son of Sir John Taylor Coleridge. ... In law, cross-examination is the interrogation of a witness called by ones opponent. ... Jump to: navigation, search This article may be confusing for some readers, and should be edited to enhance clarity. ... March 5 is the 64th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (65th in leap years). ... Jump to: navigation, search 1872 was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

Promptly arrested and charged with perjury, Orton's criminal trial began in 1873 and lasted 188 days. The jury was eventually convinced—based on, for example, testimony by Orton's former girlfriend—that this claimant was false. Orton was convicted on two counts of perjury on February 28, 1874, and was sentenced to 14 years' hard labour. The legal costs amounted to £200,000 (at least ten million pounds sterling or twenty million US dollars in early 21st-century money). Perjury is lying or making verifiably false statements under oath in a court of law. ... The term girlfriend is usually used in one of two senses, each implying a kind of intimate friendship: When describing a girl or woman as girlfriend of a heterosexual woman, it is usually used in terms of very close friends. ... Perjury is lying or making verifiably false statements under oath in a court of law. ... February 28 is the 59th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1874 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... For details of notes and coins, see British coinage and British banknotes. ... The United States dollar is the official currency of the United States. ... Money Money is any marketable good or token used by a society as a store of value, a medium of exchange, and a unit of account. ...

Many people who had supported his efforts refused to believe the truth and claimed he was unjustly persecuted. (Rumours included conspiracy theories about Jesuits.) When Parliament refused to take the Tichborne case to a Royal Commission in April 1875, his supporters started a small-scale riot in London. The Society of Jesus (Latin: Societas Iesu), commonly known as the Jesuits, is a Roman Catholic religious order. ... The Houses of Parliament, seen over Westminster Bridge The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative institution in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories (it alone has parliamentary sovereignty). ... Riots in Newark, New Jersey Riots occur when crowds of people have gathered and are committing crimes or acts of violence. ...

Orton served ten years in prison and was released in 1884, by which time the public had forgotten him. He alternately confessed and claimed he was innocent but aroused little interest. He died in poverty on April 2, 1898. His coffin still carries the name Sir Roger Charles Doughty Tichborne. Jump to: navigation, search 2 April is the 92nd day of the year (93rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 273 days remaining. ... 1898 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... An open casket A coffin (which some call a casket) is a box used for the display and burial or cremation of a cadaver. ...

The 1998 movie The Tichborne Claimant is loosely based on these events. Jump to: navigation, search Tichborne Claimant was the 19th-century case of Arthur Orton (1834–1898), an impostor who claimed to be missing heir Sir Roger Tichborne (1829–1854). ...

External link

• BBC report of an exhibition of historic documents relating to on the Tichborne case, 12 August, 2004
• http://members.optusnet.com.au/~a_byrnes - When Orton was in Australia he used the name Thomas Castro and married a girl named Mary Ann Bryant. This page is dedicated to Mrs. Thomas Castro, who was later known as Lady Tichborne.