Rebels

Thomas Jones (c. 1530-1609), better known as Twm Siôn Cati, famously stole from the rich and outwitted his enemies. Born in Tregaron, Twm is Wales’ very own Robin Hood: a thief with a conscience. Rather than hurting his victims to avoid pursuit, he would shoot an arrow to pin them to their horses’ saddles. He managed to stay hidden from the Sheriff of Carmarthen in Ogof Twm Siôn Cati (‘Twm Siôn Cati’s Cave’), half way up a steep hillside in the RSPB’s Gwenffrwd-Dinas Nature Reserve. Take the circular footpath around Dinas Hill, following the spur up to the cave which has graffiti dating to the 18th century. Twm eventually retired a wealthy man and a Justice of the Peace. His hometown of Tregaron boasts a statue, the Twm Town Walk, and the famous Y Talbot (a 17th century inn with its own legend about a buried elephant). Children’s author T Llew Jones (1915-2009) wrote a series of popular books on Twm Siôn Cati, keeping his wonderful legacy alive.