Lady Henrietta Tichborne

Henrietta Seymour is 20 years old when she marries James Tichborne, the fourth son of the English Baronet. In 1829 she gives birth to a son, Roger Doughty Tichborne. The marriage is strained, with Roger living in Paris with his mother. The youth falls in love with his cousin, Katherine Doughty, but his father forbids a marriage. In 1853, Roger sets sail for South America, reaching Brazil before boarding a ship named Bella heading to Jamaica. But the ship sinks with Roger presumed dead. But encouraged by a clairvoyant, Henrietta believes that Roger was rescued and reached Australia. In 1865 an ad she places in Australia leads to a man claiming to be her son. They meet in Paris in 1866 and she vouches for his legitimacy up to her death in 1868. A trial in 1874 finds that the claimant is actually one Arthur Orton and after serving 10 years in prison, he dies impoverished in 1898.