The Crime Book

177

See also: The Affair of the Diamond Necklace 64–65 ■ Harry Domela 70–73

■ Frank Abagnale 86–87

R

oger Tichborne, heir to the

Tichborne baronetcy, was

lost in the Atlantic in 1854,

when the ship in which he was

travelling sank off Rio de Janeiro,

Brazil. His mother, Lady Henriette

Tichborne, was devastated. After

hearing a report that survivors from

the ship had been rescued and

taken to Australia, she held out

hope that he was alive and placed

advertisements around the world,

asking for news of his whereabouts.

In 1866, a lawyer in Australia

wrote to Lady Tichborne. A butcher

in New South Wales calling himself

Tom Castro had contacted him,

claiming to be Roger. Overjoyed,

Lady Tichborne sent for Castro, and

when she met him later that year,

claimed to recognize him.

An improbable prodigal

To the rest of the family, however,

this “Roger” was obviously an

impostor. A man who all recalled as

being slight in stature, delicate in

manner, his voice inflected by a

boyhood in France, was now big

and coarse in appearance and

unrefined in his speech. After

Lady Tichborne’s death, the

family challenged his claim to

the estate and title. The lengthy

civil and criminal trials that

followed caused a public sensation.

At their end, Arthur Orton, a

Londoner who had left England,

jumped ship in Chile, and ended

up in Australia, was sentenced to

14 years for perjury. Orton tried

to live off his celebrity without

much success. He died in poverty,

still claiming to be Tichborne. ■

KIDNAPPING AND EXTORTION

IN CONTEXT

LOCATION

Hampshire, UK

THEME

Imposture

BEFORE

1487 Low-born Lambert

Simnel, a pretender to the

English throne, threatens

King Henry VII’s reign. He is

defeated and later pardoned by

the king, who believes Simnel

was manipulated by nobles.

1560 In France, Arnaud

du Tilh is executed after his

three-year impersonation of

Martin Guerre is revealed

when the real Guerre returns.

AFTER

1921 A man claiming to be

Prince Ramendra Narayan Roy,

one of the three co-sharers of

the extensive Bhawal estate

in India’s eastern Bengal,

reappears 12 years after his

supposed death and cremation.

His claim is disputed but two

trials rule in his favour.

MARVELLOUS

REAL-LIFE

ROMANCE

THE TICHBORNE CLAIMANT, 1897

The real Roger Tichborne (left),

and Arthur Orton (right) looked very

different, yet dozens of people swore

that they were the same person.

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