Hut in which the Claimant is said to have lived at…

Scarce c.19th engraving of the hut ‘Tom Castro’ or Arthur Orton, the butcher from Wagga Wagga who claimed to be the missing heir of Sir Roger Tichborne.

Roger Tichborne, heir to the family’s title and fortunes, was presumed to have died in a shipwreck in 1854 at age 25. His mother clung to a belief that he might have survived, and after hearing rumours that he had made his way to Australia, she advertised extensively in Australian newspapers, offering a reward for information. In 1866, a Wagga Wagga butcher known as Thomas Castro came forward claiming to be Roger Tichborne. Although his manners and bearing were unrefined, he gathered support and travelled to England. He was instantly accepted by Lady Tichborne as her son, although other family members were dismissive and sought to expose him as an impostor. During protracted enquiries before the case went to court in 1871, details emerged suggesting that the Claimant might be Arthur Orton, a butcher’s son from Wapping in London, who had gone to sea as a boy and had last been heard of in Australia. After a civil court had rejected the Claimant’s case, he was charged with perjury; while awaiting trial he campaigned throughout the country to gain popular support. In 1874, a criminal court jury decided that he was not Roger Tichborne and declared him to be Arthur Orton. Before passing a sentence of 14 years, the judge condemned the behaviour of the Claimant’s counsel, Edward Kenealy, who was subsequently disbarred because of his conduct. The ensuing case became one of the longest in British legal history.

From the original edition of The Graphic.

Collections:
State Library New South Wales: CALL NUMBERS TF00009
National Library Australia: Bib ID 2855507
State Library Victoria: Record ID 9910359523607636
Met Museum New York: Accession Number: 28.111.12
Royal Academy: Record number 14/3950