Lord or Fraud?

The incredible true story of the Tichborne Claimant

An identity stolen, a family divided, and the greatest legal scandal of the Victorian era. A new play by David Sharpe.

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Side-by-side close-up of the Claimant and Roger Tichborne, face to face

The Question

Is he lord, or is he fraud?

In 1854, Sir Roger Tichborne, heir to the ninth-largest fortune in England, disappeared in a shipwreck off South America. Eleven years later, a butcher from Wagga Wagga claimed to be him.

His mother said yes. The rest of the family said impostor. What followed was the longest trial in English history — and a question of identity that still resonates today.

The Claimant and Roger Tichborne holding chalkboard signs reading LORD and OR FRAUD

The Case, By the Numbers

271 Days at trial

14 Years' hard labour sentenced

9th Largest fortune in England

Explore the Production

Find your way in

About the Play

Synopsis, characters, and how the production brings both men to the stage.

The True Story

The real history, the trials, and the Victorian sensation known as Tichbornia.

Media Gallery

Production stills from the rehearsed reading.

Perusal Script

Read a free sample and find production requirements.

Rights & Licensing

Inquire about staging I Am Tichborne with your company.

The Playwright

About David Sharpe and his work for the stage.