Photograph of the Tichborne Claimant in the gardens of the Old Post House, Broad Street, Alresford, his Hampshire home, summer 1868.
In one of the most widely reported legal cases of the nineteenth century the Tichborne Claimant purported to be the long-lost nephew of Sir Henry Tichborne of Tichborne Park, and heir to his uncle's title and valuable estates. He travelled to England from Australia in 1866 to claim the inheritance, mounting a vigorous campaign, and was by and large well received locally. However, most of the Tichborne family considered him an imposter, and after a civil trial of 103 days the Court found in their favour. In 1874 the Claimant was found guilty of perjury and sentenced to fourteen years' imprisonment as Arthur Orton, the son of a Wapping butcher.
Image © Hampshire Cultural Trust.