The Life and Identity of William Cresswell
William Cresswell was an inmate of the Parramatta Lunatic Asylum in New South Wales. His life became a subject of significant public interest due to his involvement in the Tichborne case, where he was considered a claimant to the identity of Sir Roger Tichborne. During a Royal Commission regarding his identity, he was described as a grey, robust looking old man who occasionally spoke incoherently to himself but also expressed recognition of certain people and places.
The investigation into his identity involved examining physical marks, such as a scar on his left forearm that some suggested was a destroyed tattoo. While a commission found him to be of sufficiently sound mind to warrant his release from the asylum, he remained an inmate there until his death in Westmead.
