Mapping Mountains – Significant Name Changes – 100m Twmpau and Y Trechol – The Dominant Hills of Wales

The Beech (ST 346 974)

There has been a Significant Name Change to a hill that is listed in the 100m Twmpau and Y Trechol – The Dominant Hills of Wales, with the summit height, bwlch height and their locations, the drop and status of the hill confirmed by LIDAR analysis conducted by Myrddyn Phillips.

LIDAR image of The Beech (ST 346 974)

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

100m Twmpau - Welsh hills at or above 100m and below 200m in height with 30m minimum drop, with an accompanying sub list entitled the 100m Sub-Twmpau with the criteria for this sub category being all Welsh hills at or above 100m and below 200m 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.  The list is authored by Myrddyn Phillips with the Introduction to the start of the Mapping Mountains publication of this list appearing on the 3^rd December 2015.

The hill is adjoined to the Cymoedd Gwent group of hills, which are situated in the eastern part of South Wales (Region C, Sub-Region C2), and it has a number of A roads encircling it with the A4042 to its west, the A472 to its north, the A449 to its east and the M4 motorway towards its south, and has the town of Brynbuga (Usk) towards its north-east.

The hill originally appeared in the 100m P30 list on Geoff Crowder’s v-g.me website under the name of Craig y Saeson, which is a name that appears to the north-east of this hill’s summit on contemporary Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Explorer maps.

Craig y Saeson

184m

ST345974

171

152

 

During my early hill listing I paid little regard to name placement on the map, or the meaning of names and to what feature the name was appropriately applied to.  Therefore I prioritised names for listing purposes that I now understand are either inappropriate or where another name is viewed as being more appropriate, and as this hill comprises bounded land the Tithe map was consulted and this confirms that the name Craig y Saeson is applicable to enclosed land to the north-east of this hill’s summit and not to the summit area of this hill or the hill itself.

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

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 historic 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 Vector Map Local hosted on the Geograph website, and which is entitled the Interactive Coverage Map.  In the case of this hill it is the series of Ordnance Survey Six-Inch maps that record the name of The Beech for the land at or adjacent to where the summit of this hill is situated.

Extract from the series of Ordnance Survey Six-Inch maps

Therefore the name this hill is now listed by in the 100m Twmpau and Y Trechol – The Dominant Hills of Wales is The Beech, and this was derived from the series of Ordnance Survey Six-Inch maps. 

The full details for the hill are:

Group:  Cymoedd Gwent

Name:  The Beech

Previously Listed Name:  Craig y Saeson 

OS 1:50,000 map:  171

Summit Height:  185.4m (LIDAR, natural summit)

Summit Grid Reference:  ST 34645 97459 (LIDAR, natural summit)

Bwlch Height:  89.0m (LIDAR)

Bwlch Grid Reference:  ST 34479 98091 (LIDAR)

 

Drop:  96.4m (LIDAR)

Dominance:  51.98% (LIDAR)

Myrddyn Phillips (August 2019)

Mapping Mountains – Significant Name Changes – 100m Twmpau

Tregrug (ST 363 974)

There has been a Significant Name Change to a hill that is listed in the 100m Twmpau, with the summit height, bwlch height and their locations, the drop and status of the hill confirmed by LIDAR analysis conducted by Myrddyn Phillips.

LIDAR image of Tregrug (ST 363 974)

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

100m Twmpau - Welsh hills at or above 100m and below 200m in height with 30m minimum drop, with an accompanying sub list entitled the 100 Sub-Twmpau with the criteria for this sub category being all Welsh hills at or above 100m and below 200m 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.

The hill is adjoined to the Cymoedd Gwent group of hills, which are situated in the eastern part of South Wales (Region C, Sub-Region C2), and it is encircled by minor roads with the Afon Wysg (River Usk) and the A449 road further to the east, and has the town of Brynbuga (Usk) towards its north north-east.

The hill originally appeared in the 100m P30 list on Geoff Crowder’s v-g.me website under the name of Llangibby Castle, which is a name that appears near the summit of this hill on contemporary Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Explorer maps.

 

Llangibby Castle

110c

ST364974

171

152

During my early hill listing I paid little regard to name placement on the map, or the meaning of names and to what feature the name was appropriately applied to.  Therefore I prioritised names for listing purposes that I now understand are either inappropriate or where another name is viewed as being more appropriate, and as the name of Llangibby Castle refers to an inanimate object I consulted historic Ordnance Survey maps for a more appropriate Welsh name for this hill.

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

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 Vector Map Local hosted on the Geograph website, and which is entitled the Interactive Coverage Map.  In the case of this hill it is the series of Ordnance Survey Six-Inch maps that record the name of Tregrug, which online research substantiates as an alternate name that can be used for this hill.

Extract from the series of Ordnance Survey Six-Inch maps

Therefore the name this hill is now listed by in the 100m Twmpau is Tregrug, and this was derived from the series of Ordnance Survey Six-Inch maps and substantiated by online research. 

The full details for the hill are:

Group:  Cymoedd Gwent

Name:  Tregrug

Previously Listed Name:  Llangibby Castle

 

OS 1:50,000 map:  171

Summit Height:  109.9m (LIDAR)

Summit Grid Reference:  ST 36359 97425 (LIDAR)

Bwlch Height:  77.1m (LIDAR)

Bwlch Grid Reference:  ST 36147 97477 (LIDAR) 

Drop:  32.8m (LIDAR)

Myrddyn Phillips (August 2019)

Mapping Mountains – Significant Name Changes – 100m Twmpau

Coed Cae Maen (ST 362 998)

There has been a Significant Name Change to a hill that is listed in the 100m Twmpau, with the summit height, bwlch height and their locations, the drop and status of the hill confirmed by LIDAR analysis conducted by Myrddyn Phillips.

LIDAR image of Coed Cae Maen (ST 362 998)

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

100m Twmpau - Welsh hills at or above 100m and below 200m in height with 30m minimum drop, with an accompanying sub list entitled the 100m Sub-Twmpau with the criteria for this sub category being all Welsh hills at or above 100m and below 200m 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.

The hill is adjoined to the Cymoedd Gwent group of hills, which are situated in the eastern part of South Wales (Region C, Sub-Region C2), and it is encircled by minor roads with the A472 road further to its north and the A449 road further to its east, and has the town of Brynbuga (Usk) towards its north-east.

The hill originally appeared in the 100m P30 list on Geoff Crowder’s v-g.me website under the partly invented and transposed name of Pen Cae-maen Wood, with an accompanying note stating; Name from wood to the East.

Pen Cae-maen Wood

100c

ST362998

171

152

Name from wood to the East

  

During my early hill listing I thought it appropriate to either invent a name for a hill, or use a name that appeared near to the summit of the hill on Ordnance Survey maps of the day.  My preference was to use farm names and put Pen, Bryn or Moel in front of them or as in this instance transpose the name of a wood and add the word Pen to it.  This is not a practice that I now advocate as with time and inclination place-name data can be improved either by asking local people or by examining historic documents, through this form of research an appropriate name for the hill can usually be found.

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

As the name of Cae-maen Wood appears adjacent to this hill’s summit on contemporary Ordnance Survey maps the Tithe map was consulted.  The term Tithe map is generally given to a map of a Welsh or English parish or township and which was prepared after the 1836 Tithe Commutation Act.  This act allowed tithes to be paid in cash rather than goods.  The Tithe maps gave names of owners and occupiers of land in each parish and importantly for place-name research they also included the name of enclosed land.  This enclosed land is usually based on a field system, however not every field is given a name, but many are and especially so in Wales.

Extract from the Tithe map

The enclosed land where the summit of this hill is situated is given the number 431 on the Tithe map, this can be cross referenced against the apportionments; it is these apportionments that give the name of the owner or occupier of the land as well as the name of the land.  The land where the summit of this hill is situated is named as Coed Cae Main in the apportionments, with the details on the Tithe map appearing in the parish of LLanbaddock [sic] and in the county named as Monmouth.

Extract from the apportionments

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.

Therefore, the name this hill is now listed by in the 100m Twmpau is Coed Cae Maen, and this was derived from the Tithe map with contemporary Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Explorer maps using a mixed language version of this name.

The full details for the hill are:

Group:  Cymoedd Gwent

Name:  Coed Cae Maen

Previously Listed Name:  Pen Cae-maen Wood

 

OS 1:50,000 map:  171

Summit Height:  101.0m (LIDAR)

Summit Grid Reference:  ST 36203 99841 (LIDAR)

Bwlch Height:  67.6m (LIDAR)

Bwlch Grid Reference:  ST 35963 99882 (LIDAR) 

Drop:  33.1m (LIDAR)

Myrddyn Phillips (August 2019)

Mapping Mountains – Hill Reclassifications – Y Trichant

Cerrig y Ddinas (SH 754 739) – Sub-Trichant reclassified to Trichant

There has been a reclassification to a hill that is listed in the Y Trichant, with the summit height and its position initially ascertained from LIDAR analysis and the summit height, bwlch height and their locations, the drop and status of the hill subsequently confirmed by a survey with the Trimble GeoXH 6000 conducted by Myrddyn Phillips, with the latter taking place on the 22^nd May 2019.

Cerrig y Ddinas (SH 754 739)

The criteria for the list that this reclassification applies to are:

Y Trichant – Welsh hills at or above 300m and below 400m in height that have 30m minimum drop, with an accompanying sub list entitled the Sub-Trichant with the criteria for this sub category being all Welsh hills at or above 300m and below 400m in height with 20m or more and below 30m of drop.  The list is authored by Myrddyn Phillips, with the Introduction to the list and the renaming of it appearing on Mapping Mountains on the 13^th May 2017.

The name of the hill is Cerrig y Ddinas and it is adjoined to the Carneddau group of hills, which are situated in the north-western part of North Wales (Region A, Sub-Region A1), and it is positioned with the A55 road and the coast to its north, and has the town of Conwy towards the north-east.

When the original 300m height band of Welsh P30 hills were published on Geoff Crowder’s v-g.me website this hill was included in the Hills to be surveyed sub list as it did not meet the criteria then used for the main P30 list; however the main P30 and accompanying sub list has now been standardised and interpolated heights and drop values also included.

When this list was standardised and interpolated heights also included this hill was listed with an estimated c 26m of drop, based on the 312m summit spot height that appears on the Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Explorer map which was prioritised in favour of the 314m summit spot height that appears on the Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 Landranger map, and an estimated bwlch height of c 286m based on interpolation of 10m contouring on the contemporary Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Explorer map.

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

Extract from the Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 Landranger map

The details for this hill were re-examined when the OS Maps website became available online.  This is the replacement for OS Get-a-map and has contours at 5m intervals.  The mapping on OS Maps shows this hill with bwlch contouring between 280m – 285m with an estimated height of c 284m giving this hill a drop value nearer 30m.

Extract from the OS Maps website

However, it was not until LIDAR became available that the details for this hill could be accurately re-assessed.  The LIDAR (Light Detection & Ranging) technique produced highly accurate height data that is now freely available for much of England and Wales, however LIDAR coverage only takes in the summit of this hill. 

LIDAR summit image of Cerrig y Ddinas

The reclassification of this hill to Trichant status is due to a Trimble GeoXH 6000 bwlch and summit survey, resulting in a 313.5m summit height and a 283.0m bwlch height, with these values giving this hill 30.5m of drop, which is sufficient for this hill to be classified as a Trichant.

 

The full details for the hill are:

Group:  Carneddau

Name:  Cerrig y Ddinas

OS 1:50,000 map:  115

Summit Height:  313.5m (converted to OSGM15)

Summit Grid Reference:  SH 75427 73948

Bwlch Height:  283.0m (converted to OSGM15)

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SH 75140 73786

 

Drop:  30.5m (converted to OSGM15)

For details on the survey of this hill

Myrddyn Phillips (August 2019)

Mapping Mountains – Hill Reclassifications – Y Trechol – The Dominant Hills of Wales

Coed Cae Maen (ST 362 998) – Lesser Dominant deletion

There has been a deletion to the listing of Y Trechol – The Dominant Hills of Wales, with the summit height, bwlch height and their locations, the drop, dominance and status of the hill confirmed by LIDAR analysis conducted by Myrddyn Phillips.

LIDAR image of Coed Cae Maen (ST 362 998)

The criteria for the list that this deletion applies to are:

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.  The list is authored by Myrddyn Phillips with the Introduction to the start of the Mapping Mountains publication of this list appearing on the 3^rd December 2015.

The name the hill is now listed by is Coed Cae Maen and this was derived from the Tithe map, and it is adjoined to the Cymoedd Gwent group of hills, which are situated in the eastern part of South Wales (Region C, Sub-Region C2), and it is encircled by minor roads with the A472 road further to its north and the A449 road further to its east, and has the town of Brynbuga (Usk) towards its north-east.

When the original 100m height band of Welsh P30 hills published on Geoff Crowder’s v-g.me website were standardised and interpolated heights also included, this hill was listed with an estimated c 34m of drop and 33.66% dominance, based on an estimated c 101m summit height and an estimated bwlch height of c 67m, with these heights based on 10m contour intervals on the Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Explorer map.

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

However, it was not until LIDAR became available that the details for this hill could be accurately re-assessed.  The LIDAR (Light Detection & Ranging) technique produced highly accurate height data that is now freely available for much of England and Wales. 

The summit height produced by LIDAR analysis is 101.0m and is positioned at ST 36203 99841, and the bwlch height is 67.6m and is positioned at ST 35963 99882, with these values giving this hill 33.5m of drop and 33.12% dominance which is insufficient for its continued inclusion as a Lesser Dominant hill.

The full details for the hill are:

Group:  Cymoedd Gwent

Name:  Coed Cae Maen

OS 1:50,000 map:  171

Summit Grid Reference:  ST 36203 99841 (LIDAR)

Summit Height:  101.0m (LIDAR)

Bwlch Grid Reference:  ST 35963 99882 (LIDAR)

Drop Summit to Bwlch:  33.5m (LIDAR)

Drop Bwlch to ODN:  67.6m (LIDAR)

Dominance:  33.12% (LIDAR)

Myrddyn Phillips (August 2019)