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

Ynys Aberteifi (SN 158 514) 

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, bwlch height and their locations, the drop, dominance and status of the hill derived from a Trimble GeoXH 6000 survey conducted by Myrddyn Phillips. 

Ynys Aberteifi (SN 158 514)

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 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

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, and the list is now available in its entirety on Mapping Mountains in Google Doc format. 

Y Trechol - The Dominant Hills of Wales by Myrddyn Phillips

The hill is adjoined to the Mynydd Bach group of hills, which are situated in the western part of South Wales (Region B, Sub-Region B1), and as its name implies; it is an island positioned off the west coast of Wales, and has town of Aerteifi (Cardigan) towards the south south-east.

Cardigan Island

52m

SN158515

145

35/198

The hill appeared in the original Welsh 30-99m P30 list on Geoff Crowder’s v-g.me website, under the transposed name of Cardigan Island, which is the name that appears for the island on the contemporary Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 Landranger and 1:25,000 Explorer map. 

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

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.  It is also standard practice to use a Welsh name for a hill if another name exists that has originated in a different language.

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

 

The full details for the hill are:

Group:  Mynydd Bach

Name:  Ynys Aberteifi

Previously Listed Name:  Cardigan Island 

OS 1:50,000 map:  145

Summit Height:  52.5m (converted to OSGM15, Trimble GeoXH 6000) 

Summit Grid Reference:  SN 15812 51487 (Trimble GeoXH 6000) 

Bwlch Height:  not applicable, sea level 

Bwlch Grid Reference:  not applicable, sea level 

Drop:  52.5m (Trimble GeoXH 6000)

Dominance:  100.00% (Trimble GeoXH 6000) 

 

Myrddyn Phillips (February 2023)