Dafydd Jones or Dewi Dywyll (1803 – 1868) was a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

eer. His father was a carpenter in

Llanybydder Llanybydder (, sometimes formerly spelt ''Llanybyther'') is a market town and community straddling the River Teifi in Carmarthenshire, West Wales. At the 2011 Census, the population of the community was 1638, an increase from 1423 at the 2001 ...

, Carmarthenshire, and he was born on the estate of Dolau Bach there. He was also known as Deio'r Cantwr (Davy the Singer) and Dewi Medi (Harvest Dave). Dafydd Jones gained the name Dewi Dywyll, which means Blind Davy, due to being blinded by accident. He wrote ballads and sang them. He gained his fame for his impromptu singing all over Wales in an age of wandering balladeers who were popular characters. He wrote about 60 ballads — at least 70 according to the

National Library of Wales The National Library of Wales ( cy, Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru), Aberystwyth, is the national legal deposit library of Wales and is one of the Welsh Government sponsored bodies. It is the biggest library in Wales, holding over 6.5 million boo ...

. He died at

Lampeter Lampeter (; cy, Llanbedr Pont Steffan (formal); ''Llambed'' (colloquial)) is a town, community and electoral ward in Ceredigion, Wales, at the confluence of the Afon Dulas with the River Teifi. It is the third largest urban area in Ceredigion, ...

in 1868.

Examples of his work

References

Welsh-language poets Welsh singer-songwriters Ballad musicians Blind musicians Blind writers People from Llanybydder 1803 births 1868 deaths 19th-century Welsh male singers Welsh blind people {{Wales-writer-stub