The Claimant : The Extraordinary Story of the Australian Butcher Who Said He Was a Baronet

The Extraordinary Story of the Australian Butcher who said he was a Baronet It's 1866, and from the dusty frontier town of Wagga Wagga comes a man who sets Victorian England alight – the likes of which have never been seen before or since. A tale so preposterous that its veracity is still debated today. Tom Castro – or was he Arthur Orton? – an obese, toothless butcher who lives in a slab-hut with his illiterate wife and children, suddenly comes forward and claims he is Roger Tichborne, the rightful Baronet of Tichborne Park, Hampshire, and head of one of England's oldest, most noble Catholic families. Incredibly, the family matriarch agrees. In 1866, Thomas Castro, A Fat Butcher From The Bush Town Of Wagga Wagga Set The English-speaking World Into A Frenzy When He Claimed To Be The Missing English Nobleman, Sir Roger Tichborne, The Baronet Of Tichborne Park . It Seemed Too Ridiculous To Be True Yet Dozens Of People Who Knew Roger, Including His Mother, Accepted The Fat Man As The Real Baronet Of One Of England's Oldest Families.now Known Only As The Claimant, He Became The Centre Of The Two Longest-running Trials In English History. In The Process, The Claimant Became The Best Known Man In England. He Sparked A Powerful Political Movement, Sent World Media Into Overdrive And Inspired A Global Souvenir Industry On A Scale Never Seen Before. The Claimant's Story Was One Of Intrigue, Deception, Betrayal And Conflict. It Sparked A Class War, Impugned A Lady's Honour And Even Delivered The Crushing Finale To A 900-year-old Medieval Curse. When He Died At The End Of A Lifetime Of Notoriety, The Tichborne Family Allowed Him To Be Buried In A Casket Marked With Roger Tichborne's Name. However, It Was Only After His Death That An Intriguing Document Emerged, Claiming To Shed Light On A Fine Family's Dark Secret And Providing A New Theory On The Real Identity Of The Butcher Who Claimed To Be A Baronet. Who Was He Really A Baronet Or A Butcher? Paul Terry (author). Includes Index. In 1866, Thomas Castro, a fat butcher from the bush town of Wagga Wagga set the English-speaking world into a frenzy when he claimed to be the missing English nobleman, Sir Roger Tichborne, the baronet of Tichborne Park . It seemed too ridiculous to be true yet dozens of people who knew Roger, including his mother, accepted the fat man as the real baronet of one of England's oldest families. Now known only as the Claimant, he became the centre of the two longest-running trials in English history. In the process, the Claimant became the best known man in England. He sparked a powerful political movement, sent world media into overdrive and inspired a global souvenir industry on a scale never seen before. The Claimant's story was one of intrigue, deception, betrayal and conflict. It sparked a class war, impugned a lady's honour and even delivered the crushing finale to a 900-year-old medieval curse. When he died at the end of a lifetime of notoriety, the Tichborne family allowed him to be buried in a casket marked with Roger Tichborne's name. However, it was only after his death that an intriguing document emerged, claiming to shed light on a fine family's dark secret and providing a new theory on the real identity of the butcher who claimed to be a baronet. Who was he really a baronet or a butcher? Its 1866, and from the dusty frontier town of Wagga Wagga comes a man who sets Victorian England alight the likes of which have never been seen before or since. A tale so preposterous that its veracity is still debated today. Tom Castro or was he Arthur Orton? an obese, toothless butcher who lives in a slab-hut with his illiterate wife and children, suddenly comes forward and claims he is Roger Tichborne, the rightful Baronet of Tichborne Park, Hampshire, and head of one of Englands oldest, most noble Catholic families. Incredibly, the family matriarch agrees. So sets in motion a journey that takes our unlikely nobleman on a rollercoaster ride of fame, glory, prison and penury, unleashes the Tichborne Curse, disturbs Queen Victoria, delights Mark Twain, immortalises our Claimant in wax at Madame Tussauds, and strikes at the very heart of the English class system. And, at the end of a tumultuous life, a strange posthumous victory to the Claimant leads some to still ask the question was he Roger Tichborne, a baronet, or Tom Castro, a butcher?