Who was ‘The Welsh Houdini’? Coch Bach y Bala, the legendary prison escape artist

In the 19th century, one man’s prison escapades earnt him several nicknames, including ‘The Welsh Houdini’. Elin Tomos explores the life – and crimes – of a legendary figure from Wales, Coch Bach y Bala…

Portrait of Coch Bach y Bala

Published: December 27, 2024 at 8:30 AM

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At the same time as a Hungarian American magician born with the name Erik Weisz was making his name as one of the world’s most daring escape artists, famed for breaking free from shackles and manipulating locks, one criminal captured the imaginations of a nation on the other side of the Atlantic.

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Called at various times ‘the Little Welsh Terror’, ‘the Little Turpin’, and Coch Bach y Bala – translated as ‘The Little Redhead of Bala’ – a Welshman named John Jones became a household name in 1879, when he managed to escape from Ruthin prison, Denbighshire in north Wales, while awaiting trial. What followed was a series of prison breaks that evoked the talents of a vaudevillian escape artist, and saw Jones dubbed ‘the Welsh Houdini’.

Coch Bach’s early years

We know very little about John Jones’ early years, his name being common in Wales means that pinpointing his exact place and date of birth has proved impossible. Sources suggest that he was probably born in the parish of Llanfor, near Bala in north Wales, around 1854, and was raised by his grandmother.

Jones began his criminal career at a young age. He had his first brush with the law when he was six years old, when he was allegedly whipped by a police officer for stealing eggs from a nearby farm. Young Jones would often steal random objects from neighbours and store them in walls or hedges before returning to collect them later – a practise he continued for the rest of his life.

A penchant for crime

Jones received his first prison sentence in 1871 when he was found guilty of poaching. In the mid-19th century, poaching was a relatively common offence – especially in a rural county like Merionethshire. He did not receive the usual punishment of a fine, but rather a month's imprisonment.

But his main delight was housebreaking. In 1873, Jones was found guilty of stealing a total of 15 shillings – around £80 in today’s money – from the homes of one Griffith Griffiths in Llandrillo and one Robert Davies in Corwen. He received a total sentence of six years – a heavy sentence considering the amount of money he stole. However, Jones did not serve his full sentence and was released for good behaviour in 1878.

However, he soon returned to his old ways. In December of that same year, police officers were called to a skirmish near a tollgate in Y Bala. When the police arrived, the crowd that had gathered to witness the brawl turned on them. Hidden in a nearby garden, a group of six men that included Jones threw rocks at the police and taunted them. The group was arrested and sentenced to six month’s imprisonment.

A false allegation?

On 14 October 1879, someone stole a watch from one Rowland Edwards’ home in the village of Llanfor. That same evening, 13 watches were also stolen from the home of John Richards, a local watchmaker residing in nearby Llanycil.

Suspicions immediately fell on Coch Bach y Bala, and the authorities began to scour the area in search of the ill-famed criminal. He was arrested in Croesoswallt (Oswestry) when witnesses came forward claiming that Coch Bach had been seen at a local pub – the Woolpack Inn. In an act that might have either been excessively generous or hubristic, he had reportedly been buying drinks for the pub’s other customers and flashing several watches.

Jones strongly denied the allegations, claiming that he had been in the Ffestiniog area – around 20 miles from where the robberies took place – on the night in question, and that he had been given the watches seen at the Woolpack Inn by a friend.

Unluckily for the redheaded Welshman, he had no means to prove his alibi was true, but he believed it was not his responsibility to do so. Instead, he boldly proclaimed that it was the police officers’ job to disprove his statement.

A series of escapes

Ruthin prison in North Wales.

Ruthin prison in Denbighshire. (Picture by Alamy)

On 30 November 1879, while awaiting trial at Ruthin prison in Denbighshire, Jones escaped while the prison guards were eating their dinner. Miraculously, he managed to open his own door and three other doors before leisurely walking out the front door of the prison. A £5 reward was immediately issued to anyone who could offer information regarding the whereabouts of the man known as Coch Bach.

Most surprisingly – and perhaps another example of his casual attitude to incarceration – rather than hiding in a less obvious place following his escape, Jones returned to his native Llanfor. One tale has it that he fooled the authorities by disguising himself as an old woman. Whether this is true or an evolution of his wider legend, Jones evaded capture until the beginning of January 1880 when he was once again caught for the theft of watches in the previous October. This time, he was apprehended in bed at the Swan Inn, in the village of Mochdre near Colwyn Bay.

Following his arrest, Jones was brought before the Court of Quarter Sessions at Dolgellau, Merionethshire. During the trial, remarkably, he defended himself, and took great pleasure in cross-examining witnesses. He also made lengthy statements that were entirely irrelevant to the charges he faced. Though Coch Bach did everything in his power to lengthen the proceedings and confuse the jury, his efforts were in vain, and he was sentenced to 14 years behind bars.

Once again, Coch Bach did not serve his full sentence and was released in early 1891. Following his release he eventually settled in Hutton, Essex.

Serial offender

But his freedom was short-lived, and he was sentenced to seven years in prison for a string of robberies in the summer of that year.
Coch Bach’s pattern seems to have avoided violent crimes. Nevertheless, his reputation was tarnished in 1906 when he was accused of viciously attacking an elderly woman called Sarah Jones at her home in Abererch. The authorities immediately began to suspect Jones as he was living at a lodging house nearby when the attack took place. Despite his adamance that he had not attacked the old woman, he was found guilty and sentenced to five years in Dartmoor prison, then a further two for an attack on officers.

He was released in January 1913 and returned to Y Bala in north Wales, where he lodged with a lady called Winnifred Davies and found work doing odd jobs at the White Lion Royal Hotel. To his neighbours and peers, it must have seemed like Coch Bach had turned a new leaf and was ready to put his life of crime behind him. They were soon disappointed.

By June 1913, Coch Bach found himself in trouble once more after a robbery at a local solicitor’s office led to his arrest. One Saturday night, while being held at Bala police station, Coch Bach skilfully bore a hole through the wall of his cell and made a daring escape. Witnesses the following Sunday morning commented on the remarkably small size of the hole, suggesting that Jones must have squeezed himself to freedom with considerable effort. However, it didn’t take long for the police to track him down, and he was soon sent to Ruthin gaol.

On 30 September 1913, he pulled off another astonishing escape. This time, he bored through his cell wall and ingeniously fashioned a rope from his bedding to lower himself into the courtyard below. After making his getaway, he took refuge in the nearby woods close to Nantclwyd Hall, situated about four miles from Ruthin prison.

The end of Coch Bach

After five to six days on the run, Jones’ luck ran out. He was found by Reginald Jones Bateman, a 19-year-old student who was out shooting partridges. Bateman had heard about the fugitive and his escapades, and allegedly tried to persuade Jones to surrender. But Jones refused. Believing that Jones was concealing a weapon, Bateman shot him in the leg just below the knee. The man known as Coch Bach and the Welsh Houdini bled to death within minutes.

Ruthin Workhouse. (Picture by Alamy)

Ruthin Workhouse. (Picture by Alamy)

As testament to how Jones’ escape exploits had captured the public imagination, the circumstances surrounding his untimely death caused widespread anger against Bateman in Wales. At an inquest into his death held at Ruthin Workhouse, a local jury returned a verdict of ‘manslaughter’ against Bateman. According to Flintshire Observer in 1913, “a large crowd of people who had assembled outside the workhouse greeted the verdict with ringing cheers”. The crowd also “followed Mr Jones Bateman and jeered at him as he was proceeding to the police court”.

Bateman stood trial in October 1913. The local magistrates deliberated for only five minutes before coming to the decision that there was no case against Bateman. Mr Hunt, the governor of Ruthin prison, testified that Coch Bach y Bala was a ‘dangerous character’ and had attacked the prison guards on several occasions. According to Mr Hunt, although Coch Bach was a “small man” he was also “very strong and notably wicked”.

Though the public did not approve of the fact that Coch Bach was a thief, there were some who respected and even admired him. In 1879, a reporter from the newspaper Baner ac Amserau Cymru (The Banner and Times of Wales) described him as a “cunning… capable and truly talented man”.

Coch Bach was buried at Llanelidan Cemetery on 9 October 1913. Lewis Edwards Price, a local photographer, produced popular postcards that included photographs of Coch Bach’s coffin being carried towards his open grave and the fatal spot where he was shot.

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Following his death, the public’s interest in his life did not cease, and Coch Bach y Bala remains a famed yet controversial figure in Wales, even today.

Authors

Elin Tomos

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