He is perhaps best remembered for his translation of the medieval Arthurian romance Jaufry the Knight and the Fair Brunissende; a Tale of the Times of King Arthur.

Later, after returning to England, Elwes served as President of the British Literary Society in a term beginning in 1857[3] and running through 1858.

[4][5] In 1868 he served, along with Samuel Neil, as one of the two vice-presidents of the newly established British Literary Union.

He both wrote and translated travel literature, and much of his children's fiction details the lives or adventures of young protagonists in European locales.

In addition to his works published in book form, Elwes contributed prose and verse to various periodicals.