Mapping Mountains – Significant Name Changes – 30-99m Twmpau

 

Ty’nlôn (SH 326 887) 

There has been a Significant Name Change to a hill that is listed in the 30-99m Twmpau, with the summit height, bwlch height and their locations, the drop and status of the hill derived from detail on contemporary maps produced from Ordnance Survey data. 

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

30-99m Twmpau – Welsh hills at or above 30m and below 100m in height that have 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. 

The 30-99m Twmpau by Myrddyn Phillips

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 it is positioned with the coast to its west, minor roads to its north-east, north-west and west, and the A5025 road to its south-east, and has the village of Rhyd-wyn towards the west. 

When the original 30-99m height band of Welsh P30 hills were published on Geoff Crowder’s v-g.me website this hill was listed under the invented and transposed name of Moel Llanrhyddlad, with an accompanying note stating; Name from the hamlet to the North-East.

Moel Llanrhyddlad

95c

SH327888

114

262

Name from the hamlet to the North-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 hamlet and prefix it with the word Moel.  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 summit of this hill comprises bounded land the details for it were examined on the Tithe map.  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 139 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 Ty’nlôn in the apportionments, with the details on the Tithe map appearing in the parish of Llanrhuddlad and in the county named as Anglesey. 

Extract from the apportionments

Therefore, the name this hill is now listed by in the 30-99m Twmpau is Ty’nlôn, and this was derived from the Tithe map. 

 

The full details for the hill are: 

Group:  Ynys Môn 

Name:  Ty’nlôn

Previously Listed Name:  Moel Llanrhyddlad 

OS 1:50,000 map:  114

Summit Height:  97m (spot height) 

Summit Grid Reference:  SH 32697 88754 (spot height) 

Bwlch Height:  68m (spot height) 

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SH 32526 89419 (spot height) 

Drop:  29m (spot height summit and bwlch) 

 

Myrddyn Phillips (July 2021)