Preview
Identifier
DA 687 .W6 M52 1874
Creation Date
1874
Description
Foss, Edward. “Tichbourne Trial” in Memories of Westminster Hall. St. Louis: Soule, Thomas & Wentworth, 1874.
In 1854 Sir Rodger Tichbourne set sail for New York aboard the Bella, which was lost at sea. Tichbourne was declared dead. However his mother, Lady Henriette Tichbourne, refused to believe her son’s death and offered a reward for information on his whereabouts. A butcher from Waga Waga, Australia, came forward claiming to be Rodger Tichbourne While Lady Tichbourne accepted him, others doubted to his true identity. What followed were two of the longest and most controversial court cases in English history. The first was a civil trial to establish the claimant's identity as Rodger Tichbourne and his claim to the family's estate. The jury was prepared to reject his claim when he was arrested for perjury and put on criminal trial. The claimant was found guilty of perjury and sentenced to fourteen years in prison.