An immediate consequence of the unreasoning faith with which a
great proportion of the English people accepted the story of the 4' Claimant," apparently because it was incredible, was the resus- citation of several minor "claimants," some of whom actually obtained not a little popular support. Joseph Oldale, a hair- -dresser at Sheffield, pretends to be the rightful owner of some land that is now in the possession of Earl Fitzwilliam, and has been "agitating his cm" for nearly twenty years. When Dr. Kenealy -succeeded in persuading some English people of the bad faith of the Judges upon the Tichborne trial, Oldale seized the opportu- laity to assert his rights practically. Backed by the "Magna Charta Association" at Sheffield, he and his son gathered a crowd of sympathisers together, and invaded one of the farms to which he laid claim, occupied by a tenant of Lord Fitzwilliam's, sending in men to mow down and carry off the hay-crop, which they did victoriously for three days, tearing down the strong fence that had been erected to protect the land. Oldale and his partisans were indicted for riot and doing damage to crops ; there was no defence, and the prosecution laid stress on the scandal that had been caused at Sheffield by the Oldales' speeches and appeals to the 'people against the injustice of the law. Mr. Justice Lindley, who tried the case, dealt leniently with the prisoners, merely binding them over to keep the peace. Nevertheless the offence is a grave one, though worse offenders than the Oldales escape punishment.
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