Mapping Mountains – Significant Name Changes – 100m Twmpau

Banc Uchaf (SN 617 743) 

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 derived from LIDAR analysis and a subsequent Trimble GeoXH 6000 survey conducted by Myrddyn Phillips. 

Banc Uchaf (SN 617 743)

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 100m Twmpau by Myrddyn Phillips

The hill is adjoined to the Elenydd group of hills which are situated in the western part of Mid and West Wales (Region B, Sub-Region B2), and it is positioned with the A485 road to its north and minor roads to its west, south and east, and has the village of Llanilar towards the north north-east. 

The hill originally appeared in the 100m P30 liston Geoff Crowder’s v-g.me website under the invented and transposed name of Bryn Cwm Moch, with an accompanying note stating; Name from cwm to the North-West.

Bryn Cwm Moch

197m

SN617742

135

213

Name from cwm to the North-West

 

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 near cwm and prefix it with the word Bryn.  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 this hill comprises bounded land 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 76 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 Banc Uchaf in the apportionments, with the details on the Tithe map appearing in the parish of Llanilar and in the county named as Cardigan. 

Extract from the apportionments

Therefore, the name this hill is now listed by in the 100m Twmpau is Banc Uchaf and this was derived from the Tithe map.

 

The full details for the hill are: 

Group:  Elenydd 

Name:  Banc Uchaf

Previously Listed Name:  Bryn Cwm Moch 

OS 1:50,000 map:  135

Summit Height:  197.6m (converted to OSGM15, Trimble GeoXH 6000)

Summit Grid Reference:  SN 61768 74325 (Trimble GeoXH 6000)

Bwlch Height:  148.5m (LIDAR)

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SN 61371 72717 (LIDAR) 

Drop:  49.1m (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR bwlch)

 

Myrddyn Phillips (May 2021)