Victorian England's most-followed legal drama — a butcher in Australia claimed to be the long-lost heir to a baronetcy. Three-year trial; he was wrong but millions believed him.
From Wikipedia
The Tichborne case was a legal cause célèbre that fascinated Victorian Britain in the 1860s and 1870s. It concerned the claims by a man sometimes referred to as Thomas Castro or as Arthur Orton, but usually termed "the Claimant", to be the missing heir to the Tichborne baronetcy. He failed to convince the courts, was convicted of perjury and served a 14-year prison sentence.