Arthur Orton
Arthur Orton, born in Wapping, England, was the son of a butcher who later took on the alias Tom Castro while escaping from legal trouble, including horse theft. His life took a dramatic turn when he impersonated Sir Roger Tichborne, the heir to a baronetcy who had disappeared after a shipwreck in 1854. Despite lacking any of Tichborne's attributes—such as language skills, physical resemblance, and education—Orton managed to convince Lady Tichborne that he was her long-lost son, leading to a significant legal dispute as the Tichborne family sought to discredit his claims. Two high-profile trials ensued between 1867 and 1874, ultimately concluding with Orton being found guilty of perjury and sentenced to fourteen years in prison, of which he served ten. After his release, he attempted to capitalize on his notoriety by performing in music halls while continuing to assert his identity as Tichborne. His case became one of the longest legal actions in England's history and highlighted issues of identity and deception. In Australia, Orton's legacy is viewed differently, as he is sometimes regarded as a local hero for bringing attention to Wagga Wagga.
Subject Terms
Arthur Orton
English impostor
- Born: March 20, 1834
- Birthplace: Wapping, England
- Died: April 2, 1898
- Place of death: London, England
Major offenses: Posing as heir to the Tichborne estate and perjury
Active: 1865-1885
Locale: Australia and England
Sentence: Fourteen years in prison; served ten
Early Life
Arthur Orton (OOR-tuhn) was a butcher’s son from Wapping, England. He traveled in South America to avoid being imprisoned for horse theft and other crimes, and while there he began using the name Tom Castro.
Sir Roger Tichborne, the eldest son of a baronet and heir to a family fortune, disappeared when his ship was lost at sea in the spring of 1854. His mother refused to accept that her favorite son was dead. She sent inquiries all over the world, and one of the replies concerned possible survivors of the shipwreck. Some of the crew and passengers may have been saved by a ship headed for Australia. Maritime law, then and now, stated that the families of the survivors must be notified immediately and the survivors taken to the nearest port. The Tichborne family had received no such notification.
Criminal Career
Orton had nothing in common with the aristocratic Sir Roger Tichborne. He spoke not a word of French (Tichborne’s native language), weighed approximately two hundred pounds more than the svelte man he was impersonating, had brown eyes to Tichborne’s blue, and had little education. He was far from a fool, however. A clever man with a near-photographic memory, he researched the well-known Tichborne family. He sent letters, through his attorney, to Lady Tichborne, claiming to be her son. Also, a former family servant named Andrew Bogle, living in Australia, offered his services to Orton for a percentage of the inheritance. In return, he gave Orton considerable information about Sir Roger and the family.
On February 25, 1866, Lady Tichborne accepted him as her son before she even met Castro. After meeting him, she believed unreservedly that her son had returned to her. The rest of the Tichborne family, however, saw no reason for this obvious impostor to inherit Sir Roger’s vast holdings.
Legal Action and Outcome
Investigators from various parts of the world were hired to see just who this Thomas Castro was. They found that he was actually Arthur Orton, who had worked in several places as a butcher. Orton was denied his claim to the estates of Sir Roger’s father, Sir James Tichborne. Two trials were held between 1867 and 1874; in the first it was decided that Orton was an impostor, and in the second, he was found guilty of perjury. He was sentenced to fourteen years in prison, of which he served ten. Orton confessed and then repudiated his confession shortly afterward when he realized that he could make some money on the music-hall circuit by continuing to pose as Tichborne.
Impact
Arthur Orton’s trial was England’s longest legal action to date. Orton was only one of the world’s well-known impostors. Edward Kenealy, Orton’s attorney, was disbarred for his unwarranted attacks on the Tichborne family, the judges, and the prosecution. The Tichborne baronetcy ended in the 1960’s. In Wagga Wagga, Australia, Orton is considered a hero because he made the city famous.
Bibliography
Bondeson, Jan. The Great Pretenders: The True Stories Behind Famous Historical Mysteries. New York: W. W. Norton, 2004. A detailed look at a series of unsolved historical mysteries. Aside from the Tichborne claimant, it covers the lost dauphin, Kaspar Hauser, and several others.
Chessman, Clive. Rebels, Pretenders, and Imposters. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2000. A detailed book describing some lesser-known impostors, not only those who rewrote a family history in order to insert themselves but also those who assumed the identity of real personages.
Maugham, Sir Frederick H. The Tichborne Case. Westport, Conn.: Hyperion Press, 1936. Discusses the upper classes of England, especially the family of Baronet Sir Roger Daughty Tichborne. This insightful book begins with the family in the late 1700’s and goes through the entirety of the two trials of the claimant.