The Sir Roger Tichborne has
seen and undergone many changes since first it was
named in 1873. An attractive timber-framed
country pub, the northern part of which dates back
to the late medieval period. It is situated in Alfold
Bars and is a well known local landmark, overlooking
the open fields of northwest Sussex. The new owners
have lovingly restored and refurbished The Sir
Roger Tichborne incorporating the
values of traditional pub hospitality with an updated
warm rustic atmosphere.
Walk in and you will be welcomed
by logs crackling in the hearth, a friendly well
stocked bar with an extensive range of wines and
beers on tap. You won’t want to leave!
The
stunning new dining room offers home made food, using
locally sourced produce as much as possible. The
dining room has an impressive patio area where you
can have a relaxing lunch or simply a chilled beer,
step inside and dine in style enjoying the endless
countryside views. With the owners’ passion for
excellent food, the menu is up to the
minute, food they know you will enjoy.
In the summer the large
south-west facing garden is a place to watch the
sun go down whilst relaxing over a glass or two!
We
have a wide range of drinks from real ales and
excellent fine wines, to hot beverages and fresh
fruit juices.
Five
hand pumped Ales: Youngs Ordinary, Langham
Sundowner, Wells Bombardier, Arundel ASB
and Courage Directors.
A variety of guest
beers will be available throughout the
year.
Two
draft lagers: Carlsberg and Kronenbourg, two
ciders: Westons Stowford Press and Aspalls, not forgetting
a fine pint of Guinness.
Wine
lovers can choose from a selection of fine
wines many of which are available by the
glass. Premium Irish whiskies and a number
of Scotch malt whiskies.
Tea, Coffee and
refreshing fruit juices are always available
or why not try an Irish Coffee after a bracing
winter walk.
BAR MENU
Available during lunch & evening service in the bar & restaurant
STARTERS
Soup of the day with crusty bread ~ £5.25
Cajun spiced plaice goujons served with a lime & coriander soured cream ~ £7.50
Sesame spiced chicken skewers served with a peanut sauce ~ £7.25
Couscous stuffed mushroom with a gruyere crust set on honey & mustard dressed leaves~ £6.75
MAINS
Chargrilled 8oz rump steak, chips, roasted sweet vegetable, mushrooms & a rich red wine sauce ~ £15.95
The Tichburger 8oz (with or without cheese) served with chips & tomato chutney ~ £10.50
The Tichborne veggie burger served with chips & salad ~ £9.75
Real ale battered fish & chips with crushed peas & tartare sauce ~ £10.75
Smoked ham, eggs & chips with pineapple chutney ~ £10.25
Mussels steamed in lemongrass, ginger & coconut sauce served with french bread ~ £11.75
Parmesan & herb breaded chicken schnitzel with garlic buttered new potatoes & salad ~ £10.75
Broccoli & blue cheese lasagne served with a crisp mixed salad and crusty bread ~ £ 9.75
Steak sandwich with onions in ciabatta with chips and salad garnish ~ £9.95
LUNCH
TIME MENU
only available during lunchtime service
BAGUETTES, WRAPS & OPEN SANDWICHES ~ SERVED WITH CHIPS
Roasted pepper, mozzerella & basil ~ Coronation chicken ~ Salmon, mayonnaise & watercress ~ Sausage & onion ~ £6.95
SUNDAY LUNCH
Typically includes roast beef, lamb, pork or
chicken,
one fish dish and one vegetarian option
Smaller portions available on most dishes.
Please note: Sunday menu varies seasonally.
RESTAURANT MENU (Changes monthly)
Please view the Events & Blog in the navigation to view the latest menu
Smaller portions
available on most dishes.
We source most of our ingredients from local suppliers and growers.
We will not compromise quality in any way.
Fresh meat delivered daily from John Murray, Loxwood, our local independent and
family owned butcher.
Click on image to view larger
The Sir Roger Tichborne
is situated half a mile south of Alfold on the
B2133, and 2 miles from the junction with the
A281 Guildford/ Horsham road.
Click here for
Google Map: Then type the postcode reference
RH14 0QS
SIR
ROGER TICHBORNE 01403 751 873
Opening times:
Bar: All day from 11.30am.
Dining: Monday to Saturday 12pm - 2pm and
7pm - 9pm
Sunday 12pm - 3.30pm
Dogs are welcome on leads.
Parking for approximately
30 cars at the front of the pub.
For walkers and cyclists the pub can be found
on the
Ordnance Survey Explorer map 134.
The sad story of Sir Roger Tichborne, the heir
to the Tichborne family estate in Hampshire,
was prominent news in 1854. He was lost at
sea travelling back home from South America
and the events surrounding his death obviously
caught the imagination of the new licensee
Charles Covey and his associates, thus the
new beer house was named The Sir Roger Tichborne
a very unconventional name for a public house.
The history of Sir Roger Tichborne is a fascinating
story.
Heir who disappeared
Sir Roger Charles Doughty Tichborne was born
January 5th 1829, in Paris as the eldest son
of a baronet and heir to the Roman Catholic Hampshire
family of Tichborne. King James I of England
had made his ancestor Sir Benjamin Tichborne,
sheriff of Southampton, a baronet in 1621. His
father was James Francis Doughty-Tichborne and
his mother French-born lady Henriette Felicite.
Through the influence of his mother, who did not
appreciate England very much, Sir Roger mainly
spoke French. In fact, he lived with his mother
in France until the age of 16. James Tichborne
had to claim that the boy was going to a funeral
in England before his mother would let him leave.
In 1849 he went to Stonyhurst College and later
that year joined the 6th Dragoon Guards in Dublin.
Apparently his French accent caused ridicule, and
he sold his commission in 1852. Next year he left
for South America. From Valparaíso he crossed the
Andes and arrived in Rio de Janeiro in 1854. In
April, on his way back home, his ship was lost
at sea with all hands, and he was pronounced dead
the next year. The title and the estates passed
to his younger brother Sir Alfred Joseph Doughty-Tichborne
(who died 1866).
Claimant emerges
On learning the news of her eldest
son's death, Sir Roger's mother refused
to admit that he was dead. She sent
inquiries all over the world, and in
November 1865, she received a letter
from a Sydney lawyer who claimed that
a man supposedly fitting the description
of her son was living as a butcher
in Wagga Wagga, Australia.
The supposed Sir Roger was actually
Arthur Orton, who at the time used
the name Tom Castro. Aside from some
facial resemblance to Tichborne, he
did not fit the description at all.
Instead of sharp features and black
hair, he had round features and light
brown hair. He was also overweight
and did not speak a word of French.
His first letter referred to facts
Lady Tichborne did not recognise. However,
Lady Tichborne was desperate enough
to accept him as her son and sent him
money to come to her.
Orton was reluctant to go at first,
presumably because he feared exposure,
but his associates—one of whom was
an old friend of Sir Roger's father—made
him change his mind. Sir Roger's former
servant Andrew Bogle accompanied him
on his trip to Britain. He arrived
in London on Christmas Day 1866 and
visited the Tichborne estates. There
he met the Tichborne family solicitor
Edward Hopkins and Francis J. Baigent
who became his supporters. When in
January he travelled to the Paris hotel
where Lady Tichborne was living, the
desperate lady "recognised" him
instantly as her son. She even handed
him Sir Roger's letters from South
America. The fact that Orton did not
understand a word of French did not
bother her, and she gave him an allowance
of £1,000 a year. Orton researched
Sir Roger's life to enforce his imposture.
After Lady Tichborne's acceptance,
various other acquaintances of Sir
Roger accepted him as well. They included
other officers of the 6th Dragoons,
several county families and Hampshire
villagers. He even hired a group of
manservants who had served in the 6th
Dragoons.
Resistance begins
Other members of the Tichborne family were not
so gullible and promptly declared him an impostor.
Their investigators found out that this Tom
Castro was a butcher's son from Wapping and
had jumped ship in Valparaíso, Chile, where
he had taken the name Castro from a friendly
family. Orton had even inquired about his family
members in Wapping when he had come back from
Australia. They also found many other discrepancies
when Orton tried to fit his own South American
experiences to those of Sir Roger.
When Lady Tichborne died in March 1868, Orton
lost his most prominent supporter. He would have
probably stopped the charade had he not owed
a significant amount of money to his creditors.
(He sold "Tichborne Bonds" to pay the
legal costs when he tried to claim his inheritance
from the Tichborne family.) The rightful heir
at the time, Sir Henry Alfred Joseph Doughty-Tichborne,
was only two years old.
Trails
The trial to establish his inheritance began
on 11 May 1871 in the
Court of Common Pleas before Sir Alexander Cockburn,
12th Baronet CJ, and lasted 102 days. Orton weathered
the attacks against the discrepancies in his
story and his outright ignorance of many key
facts Sir Roger would have known, including how
to speak French as the heir had spent most of
his youth in France. Over 100 people vouched
for his identity as Sir Roger—except Orton's
brother who claimed otherwise. Eventually Sir
John Coleridge (whose junior was Charles Bowen)
revealed the whole case in a cross-examination
that lasted 22 days, and the evidence of the
Tichborne family eventually convinced the jury.
The case was closed on 5 March 1872, when Orton's
counsel William Ballantine gave up after witnesses
described tattoos which Sir Roger had had but
Orton did not, and Orton lost his upper-class
supporters.
Orton was promptly arrested and charged with
perjury. His criminal trial began in 1873 and
lasted 188 days with the judge, again Sir Alexander
Cockburn, taking 18 days to sum up. The jury
was eventually convinced—based on, for example,
testimony by Orton's former girlfriend—that this
claimant was false. Orton's defence was led by
Edward Kenealy, who would later be disbarred
for his aggressive behaviour during the case.
Orton was convicted on two counts of perjury
on 28 February 1874, and was sentenced to 14
years' hard labour. The legal costs amounted
to £200,000 (at least ten million pounds sterling
or twenty million US dollars adjusted currency).
Afermath
Many people who had supported the claimant's
efforts refused to believe the truth and claimed
he was unjustly persecuted. Rumours included
conspiracy theories about Jesuits. Kenealy
was elected to Parliament, but failed to convince
other members to take the Tichborne case to
a Royal Commission in April 1875. As a result,
Orton's supporters started a small-scale riot
in London.
Orton served ten years in prison and was released
in 1884, by which time the public had forgotten
him. He alternately confessed and claimed he
was innocent but aroused little interest. He
died in poverty on 2 April 1898. His coffin still
carries the name Sir Roger Charles Doughty Tichborne.
