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Arthur Orton19th century British commoner posing as a baronet
Date of Birth: 20.03.1834
Country:  Great Britain |
Content:
Biography of Arthur Orton
Arthur Orton, a British commoner from the 19th century, gained infamy for pretending to be a baronet. His convoluted story tells of how a simple butcher's son tried to proclaim himself a missing nobleman and suffered the bitter consequences.
Early Life and Adventures
Arthur Orton was born on March 20, 1834, in Wapping, London. His father, George Orton, was a butcher and a supplier to ships. Arthur abandoned his education at a young age to help his father. In 1849, he was sent as an apprentice to Captain Brooks on the ship 'Ocean'. The vessel set sail for South America, and in June 1849, Orton, left ashore, headed to the small provincial town of Melipilla in Chile. He stayed in Chile for a year and eight months, befriending the Castro family. Orton returned to London, where he served as an ordinary sailor. In November 1852, he sailed to Tasmania aboard the ship 'Middleton' and arrived in Hobart in May 1853. Arthur worked for several butchers there. There is evidence that Orton abused alcohol heavily. After being suspected of minor trading fraud, Orton stood before the judges. The 'Hobart' newspaper dated August 1, 1855, reported the case of 'Fayne vs. Orton,' in which the city inspector accused Arthur Orton, a butcher from Macquarie Street, of selling spoiled meat unfit for consumption. According to the report, Orton pleaded guilty. From 1855 until the mid-1860s, very few details about Orton's life have been preserved. Most likely, he switched to gold mining, postal services, and work on a pasture. Arthur turned into a fugitive criminal, likely with murder among his crimes. On November 16, 1855, he left Hobart as one of the passengers on the schooner 'Eclipse', heading to Port Albert in Gippsland, Victoria.
The Tichborne Claimant Saga
In August 1865, Australian newspapers were filled with advertisements seeking information about the fate of Roger Charles Tichborne, born in 1829, who was aboard the ship 'Bella' that disappeared in the waters of South America in 1854. The advertisements were placed by Lady Tichborne, the missing man's mother, who believed her son was still alive. Roger Tichborne had been declared legally dead, and his younger brother inherited the baronet title and family estates. In 1866, a married butcher from Wagga Wagga named Thomas Castro claimed through his lawyer, William Gibbes, to be the missing Sir Roger. The claimant supported his statement with some details about the Tichborne family tree, but many of his assertions turned out to be inaccurate or false. However, Lady Tichborne invited Thomas Castro to England and recognized him as her son. Other members of her family unanimously considered the claimant an imposter. Most historians agree that this impostor was none other than Arthur Orton, who at some point encountered the real baronet. Jack Whicher, a detective from Scotland Yard, almost immediately exposed the true identity of the claimant. At the same time, many servants of the Tichborne family and professional consultants sided with the impostor. Orton received significant financial support to fund the ongoing legal battles, which continued after Lady Tichborne's death in 1868. In order to identify the claimant as Arthur Orton, approximately 215 witnesses were called, but only a few of them testified. Additionally, no tattoos, which the real Sir Roger had, were found on the claimant's body. Considered one of the "greatest impostors in history," Orton was found guilty of perjury in 1872 and sentenced to fourteen years in Nugent Prison. On October 1, 1884, Orton was released early. According to a letter, he had lost around 67 kilograms during his time behind bars. Throughout his sentence, Arthur continued to insist that he was Sir Roger. Once free, he eventually abandoned his epic struggle and turned to work in circuses and music halls, disappointing his large army of supporters who were doomed to forget him.
Later Life and Death
In 1886, Arthur arrived in New York, where he failed to attract an audience and settled for working in a bar. In 1887, upon his return to England, Orton married Lily Enever, although his previous marriage to a woman from Wagga Wagga had not been formally dissolved. In 1895, 'The People' publication paid Orton several hundred pounds, which he used to confess that he was actually Arthur Orton. He used the money to open a tobacco shop in the Islington district of London. Over time, he retracted his confession and continued to insist that he was Tichborne. However, this did not save his shop from collapsing, and all his other business ventures also failed. In need, Orton died from heart disease on April 1, 1898.
The funeral briefly revived interest in his case, and approximately five thousand onlookers gathered at the burial ceremony. Orton's body was buried in an unmarked grave. However, the Tichbornes displayed an "act of exceptional magnanimity" by allowing a plaque with the inscription "Sir Roger Charles Doughty Tichborne" to be attached to his coffin.
In 1876, while Orton was in prison, William Cresswell from a mental asylum in Sydney declared himself to be Arthur Orton. This sparked a wave of public interest, fueled by the fact that some of Cresswell's testimonies did not contradict information about Orton. In 1884, the court ruled that it was simply impossible to come to any decision on the matter, and Cresswell remained in the asylum. Shortly before his death in 1904, he was visited by the new Lady Tichborne, who believed that Cresswell's appearance gave no reason to believe he was connected to the Tichbornes in any way.
