Theophilus Jones (18 October 1758 – 15 January 1812) was a Welsh lawyer, known as a historian of

Brecknockshire Brecknockshire ( or ), also known as the County of Brecknock, Breconshire, or the County of Brecon, was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It was created in 1 ...

Life

Theophilus Jones was the son of Hugh Jones (d. 1799), vicar of

Llangammarch Llangammarch Wells, or simply Llangammarch ( ), is a village and community in Powys, Wales, lying on the Afon Irfon, and in the historic county of Brecknockshire (Breconshire). It is the smallest of the four spa villages of mid-Wales, alongsid ...

and then

Llywel Llywel () is a small village and Community (Wales), community located on the A40 road, A40, about west of Sennybridge in Powys, Wales. The Afon Gwydderig runs through the village, not far from its source. The main settlement in the community is ...

, Brecknockshire, and a prebendary of the collegiate church of Brecon; and his wife, Elinor (d. 1786), daughter of the historian

Theophilus Evans Theophilus Evans (February 1693 – 11 September 1767) was a Welsh clergyman and historian. Life Evans' father was from Pen-y-wenallt and he was christened in the church in Llandygwydd in Cardiganshire in 1693. Evans served curacies in Brecknock ...

. For many years he practised as a solicitor in

Brecon Brecon (; ; ), archaically known as Brecknock, is a market town in Powys, mid Wales. In 1841, it had a population of 5,701. The population in 2001 was 7,901, increasing to 8,250 at the 2011 census. Historically it was the county town of Breck ...

. The death of his father gave him an additional degree of financial security, and following his appointment as deputy-registrar of the archdeaconry of Brecon, he sold his business in 1808 to have time to write. Jones married Mary Price in 1783. He died on 15 January 1812, and was buried in the church of Llangammarch; his widow died on 22 July 1828.

Works

Jones's ''History of the County of Brecknock'' was published in two volumes in Brecon in 1805 and 1809. After his death it was reprinted in one volume in 1898. From 1909 to 1930 it was reprinted in four volumes which were considerably enlarged by

Joseph Bailey, 1st Baron Glanusk Joseph Russell Bailey, 1st Baron Glanusk (7 April 1840 – 6 January 1906), known as Sir Joseph Bailey, 2nd Baronet, from 1858 to 1899, was a Welsh Conservative Member of Parliament. Early life Born at Leamington Spa, he was the son of Joseph ...

and which were named the Glanusk editions. Jones also published antiquarian communications in magazines, two papers in the ''Cambrian Register'' in 1795 and 1796, and another in '' Archaeologia'', journal of the

Society of Antiquaries of London The Society of Antiquaries of London (SAL) is a learned society of historians and archaeologists in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1707, received its royal charter in 1751 and is a Charitable organization, registered charity. It is based ...

, in 1814. He planned to write a history of

Radnorshire Radnorshire () was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974, later becoming a Districts of Wales, district of Powys from 1974 to 1996. It covered a sparsely populat ...

which, however, never materialised; and he began a translation of Ellis Wynne's romance ''Gweledigaethau y Bardd Cwsg'' (Visions of the Sleeping Bard).

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * ;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Theophilus 1758 births 1812 deaths Welsh solicitors 18th-century Welsh antiquarians 19th-century Welsh antiquarians 18th-century Welsh historians 19th-century Welsh historians