Mapping Mountains – Significant Name Changes – 30-99m Twmpau and Y Trechol – The Dominant Hills of Wales

Ynys Lawd (SH 202 822)

There has been a Significant Name Change to a hill that is listed in the 30-99m Twmpau and Y Trechol – The Dominant Hills of Wales, with the summit height confirmed by a survey with the Trimble GeoXH 6000 conducted by Myrddyn Phillips and which took place on the 25^th October 2018.

Ynys Lawd (SH 202 822)

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

30-99m Twmpau - Welsh hills at or above 30m and below 100m in height with 30m minimum drop, with an accompanying sub list entitled the 30-99m Sub-Twmpau with the criteria for this sub category being all Welsh hills at or above 30m and below 100m in height with 20m or more and below 30m of drop, with the word Twmpau being an acronym standing for thirty welsh metre prominences and upward.

Y Trechol - The Dominant Hills of Wales - Welsh P30 hills whose prominence  equal or exceed half that of their absolute height.  With the criteria for Lesser Dominant status being those additional Welsh P30 hills whose prominence is between one third and half that of their absolute height, with the Introduction to the Mapping Mountains publication of this list appearing on the 3^rd December 2015.

The hill is adjoined to the Ynys Môn group of hills, which are situated in the north-western part of North Wales (Region A, Sub-Region A1), and as its name implies it is an island that is adjoined to a larger island by an aluminium bridge, and is positioned to the west of the north-western part of Ynys Gybi (Holy Island).  

This hill was first listed in the original Welsh 30-99m P30 list published on Geoff Crowder’s v-g.me website under the name of South Stack, with an accompanying note stating; AKA Ynys Lawd, with both of these names appearing on Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Explorer maps of the day.

South Stack

41m

SH202822

114

262

AKA Ynys Lawd

The intricacies of language and prioritising one in favour of another for listing a hill is fraught with complication, with originating Cymraeg names being anglicised and also originating English names being cymricised, examples such as these are more common in border country and especially so for anglicised forms.  There is no steadfast rule that fits all, but as a standard a name that has its origins in the Welsh language and where this is substantiated by either historic documentation and / or contemporary usage should be prioritised in favour of a contemporary anglicised or English version of the name.  Likewise, if a name exists where an element of it is in English and if this name applies to a hill that is situated in a Welsh speaking part of Wales it is standard practice to use a full Welsh term for the name.

The Trimble GeoXH 6000 gathering data at the summit of Ynys Lawd

Therefore, the name this hill is now listed by in the 30-99m Twmpau and Y Trechol – The Dominant Hills of Wales is Ynys Lawd, and this was derived as the Welsh name for this hill is prioritised over its English counterpart, which for listing purposes is standard practice.

The full details for the hill are:

Group:  Ynys Môn

Name:  Ynys Lawd

Previously Listed Name:  South Stack 

OS 1:50,000 map:  114

Summit Height:  42.8m (converted to OSGM15)

Summit Grid Reference:  SH 20224 82265

Bwlch Height:  N/A, sea

Bwlch Grid Reference:  N/A, sea 

Drop:  42.8m (converted to OSGM15)

Dominance:  100.00%

For details on the survey of this hill

Myrddyn Phillips (May 2019)