Early History
Although police records state that Sguborfawr was born in Merthyr Tydfil, the name Sguborfawr was a farm near the village of Penderyn which is situated just a couple of miles away from Merthyr; he also worked as a farm labourer in the Penderyn area, so this may have been his true birth place. Little is known about his education, however he was able to read and write to a certain extent. His occupation shifts constantly, as well as a farm hand he is recorded by some as a shaft-sinker and others a brass fitter. He later joined the 98th Foot Regiment working for the authorities in Monmouthshire, and at one point was working in Brecon as a special constable during a Brecknock election.
Before he reached 30, Sguborfawr had made a name for himself as a hard man, and was seen as one of the toughest men in 'China', which was an undesirable area of Merthyr where the worst and most desperate of an industrial society found themselves. In 1840 the arrival of the Taff Vale Railway, which made Merthyr the industrial steel manufacturing hub of Britain, was celebrated in 'China' with a bare-knuckle boxing contest between Sguborfawr and Cyfarthfa champion, John Nash.
Read more about this topic: Shoni Sguborfawr
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