Mapping Mountains – Significant Name Changes – Y Pedwarau

Bwlch Bank (SO 242 720)

There has been a Significant Name Change to a hill that is listed in the Y Pedwarau, with the height of the summit confirmed by a survey with the Trimble GeoXH 6000 which took place on the 19^th April 2018, and the height of the bwlch ascertained from LIDAR analysis conducted by Aled Williams.

The criteria for the list that this name change applies to are:

Y Pedwarau – Welsh hills at and above 400m and below 500m in height that have 30m minimum drop.  The list is co-authored by Myrddyn Phillips and Aled Williams, with the introduction to the Mapping Mountains publication of the list appearing on the 30^th January 2017.

The hill is adjoined to the Beacon Hill range of hills, which are situated in the north-eastern part of Mid and West Wales (Region B, Sub-Region B1), and is positioned between the B4355 road to the north-east and the A488 road to the south-east, and has the small town of Tref-y-clawdd (Knighton) to the east.

Bwlch Bank (SO 242 720)

The hill appeared in the 400m P30 list on Geoff Crowder’s v-g.me website under the name of Bailey Hill.  Hill list authors are prone to list a hill by the name that appears nearest to its summit on contemporary Ordnance Survey maps, without much consideration for its local or historical confirmation, or whether map placement is appropriate, and in the case of this hill it was examination of Ordnance Survey historical maps and local enquiry that confirmed the name of the hill and the land area that constitutes that of Bailey Hill respectively.  

Bailey Hill

426m

SO242720

137/148

201

Clem/Yeaman

Since publication of these P30 lists on Geoff Crowder’s v-g.me website there have been a number of Ordnance Survey maps made available online, some of these are historical such as the series of Six-Inch maps on the National Library of Scotland website, whilst others are current and digitally updated such as the Interactive Coverage Map hosted on the Geograph website.  Two of the historical maps now available are the Ordnance Survey Draft Surveyors map which formed the basis for the Ordnance Survey One-Inch ‘Old Series’ map, and it was the former of these maps that name the hill as Bwlch Bank.

Extract from the Ordnance Survey Draft Surveyors map

The Draft Surveyors maps consist of the preliminary drawings made by the Ordnance Survey’s surveyors between the 1780s and 1840 and formed the basis for the first publicly available One-Inch map.  They were drawn at scales of six inches to the mile for areas considered of particular military significance and down to two inches to the mile for other areas.  Fair copies were then produced from these preliminary drawings to one inch to the mile and then copper plates were prepared for printing.  The Draft Surveyors maps for the whole of Wales are now available online and they form an important part in the study of Welsh upland place-names as they bridge the time frame between the late 18^th century and the mid-19^th century when the Ordnance Survey produced their first One-Inch maps.

The placement of names on maps from one scale to another and from one edition to another are prone to be moved over time, however study has shown that one of the best publicly available Ordnance Survey maps for name placement is the 1:25,000 historical map and this map also shows the name of Bwlch Bank adjoined to this hill.

Extract from the Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 historical map

When visiting this hill place-name enquiries were made with a number of local farmers and Bailey Hill was confirmed to take in a large area associated with a number of individual hills and is not applicable just to this hill, this is in evidence on the Ordnance Survey Draft Surveyors Map as well as the historical 1:25,000 map, both of which use the name of Bailey Hill as an elongated ridge name, whereas the contemporary 1:25,000 Explorer map dispenses with the use of an elongated ridge name giving the impression that this name is applicable just to one hill and not a large area of land taking in more than just this one hill.

Guy Hodnett from Brookhouse Farm

John and Liz Riberts from the Racecourse Farm

David Williams from White Anthony Farm

Therefore, the name this hill is now listed by in the Y Pedwarau is Bwlch Bank, and this was derived from the Ordnance Survey Draft Surveyors map and substantiated by the Ordnance Survey historical 1:25,000 map, with the land area taking in Bailey Hill confirmed by local enquiry.

The full details for the hill are:

Group:  Beacon Hill

Name:  Bwlch Bank

Previously Listed Name:  Bailey Hill

Summit Height:  424.9m (converted to OSGM15)

OS 1:50,000 map:  137, 148

Summit Grid Reference:  SO 24234 72023

Drop:  95.1m (Trimble summit and LIDAR bwlch)

The Trimble GeoXH 6000 gathering data at the summit of Bwlch Bank (SO 242 720)

For details on the survey of Bwlch Bank

Myrddyn Phillips and Aled Williams (June 2018)