author
T. J. Llewelyn (Thomas Jeffery Llewelyn) Prichard
1790–1862
Best remembered for bringing the legendary Twm Shôn Catti to the page, this Welsh writer and travelling actor mixed folklore, humor, and a lively sense of place. His work helped make one of Wales’s most famous rogues feel vividly alive for new generations of readers.
2 Audiobooks
The Comical Adventures of Twm Shon Catty (Thomas Jones, Esq.), Commonly known as the Welsh Robin Hood
by T. J. Llewelyn (Thomas Jeffery Llewelyn) Prichard
The Adventures and Vagaries of Twm Shôn Catti Descriptive of Life in Wales: Interspersed with Poems
by T. J. Llewelyn (Thomas Jeffery Llewelyn) Prichard
About the author
Born in Builth around 1789 or 1790, Thomas Jeffery Llewelyn Prichard was a Welsh travelling actor and author. Sources describe “Jeffery Llewelyn” as first being a pseudonym, which he later combined with his family name, and note that he was the son of Thomas Prichard and Anne Prichard.
He is best known for The Adventures and Vagaries of Twm Shôn Catti, first published in 1828. The book was a financial success and is often discussed as an early Welsh novel, though that claim has been debated. By turning the folkloric trickster Twm Shôn Catti into a memorable literary hero, Prichard secured his place in Welsh literary history.
Prichard also wrote and edited other works, including Welsh Minstrelsy, The New Aberystwyth Guide, The Cambrian Balnea, The Cambrian Wreath, and The Heroines of Welsh History. Details of his later life are a little uncertain in the sources, but reliable references agree that he was active across literature and performance and died in 1862.