It's not just Sherwood Forest that has a famous outlaw who
stole from the rich (although it's not confirmed that he gave his ill
gotten gains to the poor, but we'll gloss over that.)
As a child, growing up in West Wales, I was enthralled by the tales of Twm Siôn
Cati. (Tom son of Cathi). He may have become a legendary figure in Welsh folklore. but it seems he
actually existed. Thomas Jones was of noble
blood, born around 1530, supposedly the illegitimate son of the squire of
Porthyffynnon (Fountain Gate), near Tregaron, mid west Wales and
Catherine (Cati), the illegitimate daughter of one of the ancestors of
Syr John Wynn of Gwydir. (a rather immoral lot some of these noble
families), although it is actually more likely he was the son of a farmer,
Sion (John) son of David ap Madog. It was common practice in rural Wales, traditionally a
matriarchal society, for children with common names to be nicknamed
after their mothers, so he became known as Twm Sion Cati.
Twm
Sion Cati earned his reputation, roaming the rugged west and mid regions
of Wales, robbing from the rich. It is thought he had some formal
education and was a talented poet. He appears to have progressed from
being a a common thief and highwayman into quite a crafty and clever
conman.
According to one well known tale he once stole a fine chestnut mare
from a farmer named Powell. Twm then painted the animal grey and sold it
back to the farmer - who didn't find out how he'd been cheated until rain washed the
paint off the horse!
Another tale tells how Twm stayed
an inn overnight and learnt that a certain highwayman planned to rob him the
following day. He had a large sum of money with him and allowed the rumour to
get around that he had the money hidden in the pack saddle of his horse.The next day, Twm rode an old, broken winded nag along the track which the highwayman frequented. When the robber accosted him, Twm tossed the pack saddle in the middle of a pool. While the
highwayman waded into the pool to fetch it, Twm switched horses and galloped off on the highwayman's own horse, a fine, swift stallion.
Another time a shopkeeper tried to cheat him by selling him a
pot with a hole in it, while claiming the it was sound. Twm dropped the pot over the man's head,
saying that there was certainly a hole in it or he would not have been able to fit such a large thing as the shopkeeper's head inside it. He then made off with the other pots!
He was reputed to be compassionate though, and to
have avoided hurting those from whom he stole. It is said he was able to
secure his victim by firing an arrow which would pin the rider to his
saddle, rendering him unable to move, but unharmed
Twm often
hid from his arch enemy the Sheriff of Carmarthen in a cave on the
slopes of the rugged, densely wooded Dinas Hill, about 12 miles north
of Llandovery, close to the village of Rhandirmwyn. Beneath the cave, the mountain
river Pysgotwr joins the larger River Towy and thunders through the rocky
gorge below. These days Dinas Hill is on RSPB nature reserve and can be visited by tourists and visitors interested in the legend of Twm Sion Catti.
When Elizabeth 1st came to
the throne he was pardoned and returned from Geneva where he had fled to escape the law. He served as steward for the lordship of Caron and later a Justice of The
Peace and geneologist, becoming wealthy and marrying an heiress widow. becoming much loved and
respected until his death in 1609.
There are several books written about this loveable rougue, including Lynn Hughes' book about Twm, entitled 'Hawkmoor', which was serialised by the BBC in 1977.
