Twm Siôn Cati

Lore & Background

Twm Siôn Cati is said to have been born at Porth y Ffynnon on the outskirts of Tregaron. While his mother was Cati Jones of Tregaron, his father is sometimes stated to be Siôn ap Dafydd ap Madog ap Hywel Moetheu of Porth-y-ffin, Tregaron. As an illegitimate son, he unofficially took both his father and mother's names, becoming known as Thomas Jones in English, but as Twm Siôn Cati in common Welsh convention. In the tale told by Llewelyn Prichard, Twm is the illegitimate son of Cati Jones following attentions from John Wynn of Gwydir.

According to stories collected by George Borrow around Tregaron, between eighteen and nineteen, Twm adopted the profession of a thief to free himself and his mother from poverty. He was supposedly a Protestant by faith during the reign of Mary I, a Catholic monarch, and fled to Geneva in 1557 to escape the law. After the accession of Queen Elizabeth I, he obtained a pardon for his thievery in 1559, enabling his return to Wales. He is recorded as marrying Joan, the daughter of John Price, an advisor to Thomas Cromwell during the dissolution of the monasteries. Twm is said to have become a magistrate and mayor of Brecon.

Reader's Guide

Twm Siôn Cati occupies a dual role in Welsh history and folklore: as a real antiquary and genealogist named Thomas Jones, and as a legendary trickster and highwayman. The historical Jones was a landowner, bard, and steward who assisted George Owen and Lewys Dwnn, corresponded with John Dee, and died in 1609. However, it is considered unlikely that the numerous tales attributed to Twm were the exploits of this one man; rather, they likely represent a number of raiders and highwaymen operating in the Tregaron area. His legends, which include outwitting farmers, merchants, and highwaymen, and a courtship involving a threat to sever a woman's hand, have been preserved in oral tradition and later in 18th- and 19th-century literature, including pamphlets such as 'Tomshone Catty's Tricks' (1763) and 'Y Digrifwr' (1811). The character shares similarities with Henry Fielding's 'Tom Jones,' including the name Thomas Jones and a rags-to-riches narrative. Twm's significance lies in his embodiment of Welsh folk resistance and his enduring status as a national folk hero.

Did You Know?

• He was a relative of the occultist John Dee, who referred to him as 'my cousin' in correspondence.
• He was pardoned of his offences in 1559, being named as 'Thomas Johns alias Catty'.
• The name 'Twm Siôn Cati' derives from his mother Cati Jones and his father Siôn ap Dafydd ap Madog ap Hywel Moetheu.