Twm Siôn Cati

Twm Siôn Cati (Thomas Jones, c.1532–1609) was a real Welsh gentleman, bard, and genealogist whose outlaw exploits made him the archetypal Welsh folk hero — dubbed 'the Welsh Robin Hood' and 'the Welsh Rob Roy'. Legends of his tricks proliferated: he outwitted merchants, lawmen, and criminals alike with cunning disguises and wordplay. His legendary hideout was a cave on Dinas Hill near Rhandirmwyn, Carmarthenshire, overlooking the confluence of the rivers Towy and Pysgotwr, and the site remains a pilgrimage spot. He eventually received a royal pardon, likely from Elizabeth I, married a wealthy widow, and became a justice of the peace — the classic folk-hero arc of the outlaw redeemed.