David Jones wrote a considerable amount of verse, but did not attain great eminence as a poet. He is best known in this respect as editor of an anthology of poems entitled Blodeu Gerdd Cymry, sef Casgliad o Caniadau Cymreig gan amryw Awdwyr o'r oes ddiwaethaf, 1759. He also edited such works as Histori Nicodemus, 1745, an old Welsh translation of the ‘Gospel of Nicodemus,’ Egluryn Rhyfedd, 1750, and Cydymaith Diddan, 1766, the last two being miscellaneous collections of prose and verse. He was also extremely active as a collector of old Welsh manuscripts, and the fruits of his labour can be found amongst the manuscript collections of the B.M. and the N.L.W. Later in life he acquired a printing press, and set up as a printer at Trefriw. The first output of this press appeared in 1776, the first major work being Histori yr Iesu Sanctaidd in 1776, a Welsh translation of the ‘History of the Holy Jesus,’ by William Smith. He continued to print until his death on 20 Oct. 1785. [His uncle, John Davies (Siôn Dafydd Las, d. 1694), is noticed on p. 131.]