Title

Grave of Thomas Rees

Description

Thomas Rees, also known as 'Twm Carnabwth', is thought to have been the first leader of an attack against a toll gate and the first to take on the name and dress of Rebecca. The dress choice was possibly the result of him being too large for any petticoat to disguise him properly, so he used an old woman's dress instead. 
Any research into Rees will foremost bring up his role in the riots. Surely then, one would expect his grave to memorialise such a role. Surprisingly, that is not the case; it reads:

'ER COF AM 

THOMAS REESTRIAL OR PLWYF HWNBU FARW MEDI 17 1876YN 70 OED"TWM CARNABWTH"

Nid oes neb ond Duw yn gwybodBeth a ddigwydd mewn diwornodWrth gyrchu bresych at fy nginioDaeth angau i fy nga(r)dd i'm taro.'

 (In English)
'IN MEMORY OF
THOMAS REES
TRIAL OF THIS PARISH
DIED SEPTEMBER 17 1876
AT AGE 70
"TWM CARNABWTH"

No one but God knows
What will happen in a day
While fetching cabbage for my lunch
Death came to my garden to strike me.'

This indicates that though Rebecca might have been an important chapter of Rees' life, it did not necessarily become his identity. Therefore, his deep association with the riots today may be more of a posthumous construction. Indeed, more broadly, this grave reminds that these rioters were more than just 'Rebbeccaites', 'protesters', or 'dissenters'. Each one was an individual with their own stories. Stories which, though most are lost to us, shaped decades to come.

Contributor

Charles Edwards

Spatial Coverage

Bethel Cemetery, Mynachlogddu

Temporal Coverage

c. 1876

Subject

Rebecca

religion

translations

wales