Mapping Mountains – Significant Name Changes – 200m Twmpau

Diosgydd (SH 781 580)

There has been a Significant Name Change to a hill that is listed in the 200m Twmpau, with the summit height, bwlch height and their locations, the drop and status of the hill derived from LIDAR analysis conducted by Myrddyn Phillips.

LIDAR image of Diosgydd (SH 781 580)

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

200m Twmpau – Welsh hills at or above 200m and below 300m in height that have 30m minimum drop, with an accompanying sub list entitled the 200m Sub-Twmpau, with the criteria for this sub category being all Welsh hills at or above 200m and below 300m 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 200m Twmpau by Myrddyn Phillips

The hill is adjoined to the Carnedd Llywelyn group of hills, which are situated in the north-western part of North Wales (Region A, Sub-Region A1), and it is positioned with a minor road and the A5 road to its south-west and the B5106 road to its east, and has the town of Betws-y-coed towards the south-east.

The hill appeared in the original Welsh 200m P30 list on Geoff Crowder’s v-g.me website, under the invented and transposed name of Bryn Tanycastell, with an accompanying note stating; Name from buildings to the East.

Bryn Tanycastell

254m

SH781581

115

17

Name from buildings 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; as was done in this instance.  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 16 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 Diosgau in the apportionments, with the details on the Tithe map appearing in the parish of Betws-y-coed and in the county named as Caernarfonshire.

Extract from the apportionments

Therefore, the name this hill is now listed by in the 200m Twmpau is Diosgydd, which is the prioritised plural of this name and this was derived from the Tithe map.

The full details for the hill are:

Group:  Carnedd Llywelyn

Name:  Diosgydd

Previously Listed Name:  Bryn Tanycastell   

OS 1:50,000 map:  115

Summit Height:  254.1m (LIDAR)

Summit Grid Reference:  SH 78100 58064 (LIDAR)

Bwlch Height:  218.3m (LIDAR)

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SH 78568 58114 (LIDAR)

Drop:  35.8m (LIDAR)

Myrddyn Phillips (October 2023)

 

Mapping Mountains – Hill Reclassifications – Welsh Highlands – Uchafion Cymru

Esgair Neint (SN 783 800) – Welsh Highland P15 reclassified to Welsh Highland Sub 

There has been a reclassification to the listing of the Welsh Highlands – Uchafion Cymru, with the summit height, bwlch height and their locations, the drop and status of the hill derived from LIDAR analysis conducted by Aled Williams. 

LIDAR image of Esgair Neint (SN 783 800)

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

Welsh Highlands – Uchafion Cymru – Welsh hills at or above 500m in height with 15m minimum drop, with an accompanying sub list entitled the Welsh Highland Subs, the criteria for which is all Welsh hills at or above 500m in height with 10m or more and below 15m of drop.  This list is authored by Myrddyn Phillips and Aled Williams with the Introduction to the list published on Mapping Mountains in November 2015 and the latest update relating to the list published on Mapping Mountains in January 2023.

Welsh Highlands - Uchafion Cymru by Myrddyn Phillips and Aled Williams

The name the hill is listed by is Esgair Neint and it is adjoined to the Y Garn group of hills, which are situated in the northern part of South Wales (Region B, Sub-Region B1), and it is positioned with the A44 road to its north-west, and the B4343 road and the A4120 road to its west, and has the village of Ponterwyd towards the west north-west. 

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

When the original list that later became known as the Welsh Highlands – Uchafion Cymru was first compiled, this hill was included as a Welsh Highland P15 and listed with 15m of drop, based on a 49½ft/15.1m basic levelling survey conducted by Myrddyn Phillips on the 24.09.04.

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.

Therefore, the reclassification of this hill to Welsh Highland Sub status is due to LIDAR analysis, resulting in a 538.1m summit height and a 523.6m bwlch height, with these values giving this hill 14.4m of drop, which is insufficient for it to be classified as a Welsh Highland P15. 

 

The full details for the hill are: 

Group:  Y Garn

Name:  Esgair Neint

OS 1:50,000 map:  135

Summit Height:  538.1m (LIDAR)

Summit Grid Reference:  SN 78369 80073 (LIDAR)

Bwlch Height:  523.6m (LIDAR)

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SN 78433 80149 (LIDAR)   

Drop:  14.4m (LIDAR) 

 

For the additions, deletions and reclassifications to the Welsh Highlands – Uchafion Cymru reported on Mapping Mountains please consult the following Change Registers:

 

Welsh Highland P15s

 

Welsh Highland Subs

 

Aled Williams and Myrddyn Phillips (October 2023)

 

 

  

Mapping Mountains – Significant Height Revisions – Welsh Highlands – Uchafion Cymru

Clo Cadno (SO 118 162) 

There has been a Significant Height Revision to a hill that is listed in the Welsh Highlands – Uchafion Cymru, with the summit height, bwlch height and their locations, the drop and status of the hill derived from LIDAR analysis conducted by Aled Williams. 

Clo Cadno (SO 118 162)

The criteria for the list that this height revision applies to are:

Welsh Highlands – Uchafion Cymru – Welsh hills at or above 500m in height with 15m minimum drop, with an accompanying sub list entitled the Welsh Highland Subs, the criteria for which is all Welsh hills at or above 500m in height with 10m or more and below 15m of drop.  This list is authored by Myrddyn Phillips and Aled Williams with the Introduction to the list published on Mapping Mountains in November 2015 and the latest update relating to the list published on Mapping Mountains in January 2023.

Welsh Highlands - Uchafion Cymru by Myrddyn Phillips and Aled Williams

The name the hill is listed by is Clo Cadno and it is adjoined to the Cefn yr Ystrad group of hills, which are situated in the southern part of South Wales (Region B, Sub-Region B5), and is positioned with minor roads to its north-west and south-west and the B4560 road to its east, and has the village of Llangynidr towards the north-east and the small community of Trefil towards the south. 

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

When the list that later became known as the Welsh Highlands – Uchafion Cymru was first compiled, this hill was not included as the contemporary Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 Landranger and 1:25,000 Explorer map have an uppermost 520m ring contour with bwlch contouring between 510m – 520m. 

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

The details for this hill were re-examined via mapping on the OS Maps website.  This is the replacement for OS Get-a-map and had contours at 5m intervals which were proving consistently more accurate compared to the 5m contours that sometimes appear on the Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Explorer map and the Ordnance Survey Vector Map Local hosted on the Geograph website and which was entitled the Interactive Coverage Map, and this mapping indicated that this hill had a minimum of 15m of drop. 

Extract from the interactive mapping that was hosted on 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. 

LIDAR image of Clo Cadno (SN 118 162)

LIDAR analysis gives the highest ground on this hill as 530.3m positioned at SO 11849 16247, and this comes within the parameters of the Significant Height Revisions used within this page heading, these parameters are:

The term Significant Height Revisions applies to any listed hill whose interpolated height and Ordnance Survey or Harvey map summit spot height has a 2m or more discrepancy when compared to the survey result produced by the Trimble GeoXH 6000 or analysis of data produced via LIDAR, also included are hills whose summit map data is missing an uppermost ring contour when compared to the data produced by the Trimble or by LIDAR analysis.

Therefore, the new listed summit height of this hill is 530.3m and this was derived from LIDAR analysis, this is 10.3m higher than the uppermost 520m ring contour that appears on the contemporary Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 Landranger and 1:25,000 Explorer map.

 

ills of Wales, and are reproduced below@

The full details for the hill are:

Group:  Cefn yr Ystrad

Name:  Clo Cadno

OS 1:50,000 map:  161

Summit Height (New Height):  530.3m (LIDAR) 

Summit Grid Reference:  SO 11849 16247 (LIDAR)

Bwlch Height:  513.6m (LIDAR)

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SO 12197 15992 (LIDAR)   

Drop:  16.7m (LIDAR) 

 

Myrddyn Phillips and Aled Williams (October 2023)

 

 

 

  

Mapping Mountains – Significant Name Changes – Y Trichant – The 300m Hills of Wales

Esgair Hyddod (SN 617 685) 

There has been a Significant Name Change to a hill that is listed in the Y Trichant – The 300m Hills of Wales, with the summit height, bwlch height and their locations, the drop and status of the hill derived from LIDAR analysis conducted by Myrddyn Phillips. 

LIDAR image of Esgair Hyddod (SN 617 685)

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

Y Trichant – The 300m Hills of Wales – 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, and the Introduction to the Mapping Mountains publication of the list appearing on the 1^st January 2022. 

Y Trichant - The 300m 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 it is positioned with a minor road to its north, west and south, the B4576 road farther to its west and the A485 road to its east, and has the village of Lledrod 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 not included in the Hills to be surveyed sub list, as it was considered not to meet the criteria then used for this sub category.

After the sub list was standardised, and interpolated heights and drop values also included the details for this hill were re-evaluated and it was listed under the point (Pt. 357m) notation with 22m of drop, based on the 357m summit spot height that appears on the Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Explorer map and the 335m bwlch spot height that appeared on the Ordnance Survey Vector Map Local hosted on the Geograph website and which was entitled the Interactive Coverage Map. 

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 701 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 Esgair Hyddod in the apportionments, with the details on the Tithe map appearing in the parish of Llangwyryfon and in the county named as Cardigan. 

Extract from the apportionments

Therefore, the name this hill is now listed by in the Y Trichant – The 300m Hills of Wales is Esgair Hyddod and this was derived from the Tithe map. 

 

The full details for the hill are: 

Group:  Mynydd Bach 

Name:  Esgair Hyddod 

Previously Listed Name:  Pt. 357m 

OS 1:50,000 map:  135

Summit Height:  357.2m (LIDAR)                                                           

Summit Grid Reference:  SN 61718 68531 (LIDAR) 

Bwlch Height:  335.3m (LIDAR) 

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SN 61608 68135 & SN 61610 68135 (LIDAR) 

Drop:  21.9m (LIDAR) 

 

Myrddyn Phillips (October 2023)

 

 

 

 

  

Mapping Mountains – Significant Name Changes – 200m Twmpau

Tan y Castell (SH 784 580) 

There has been a Significant Name Change to a hill that is listed in the 200m Twmpau, with the summit height, bwlch height and their locations, the drop and status of the hill derived from LIDAR analysis conducted by Myrddyn Phillips. 

LIDAR image of Tan y Castell (SH 784 580)

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

200m Twmpau – Welsh hills at or above 200m and below 300m in height that have 30m minimum drop, with an accompanying sub list entitled the 200m Sub-Twmpau, with the criteria for this sub category being all Welsh hills at or above 200m and below 300m 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 200m Twmpau by Myrddyn Phillips

The hill is adjoined to the Carnedd Llywelyn group of hills, which are situated in the north-western part of North Wales (Region A, Sub-Region A1), and it is positioned encircled by minor roads, with the A5 road farther to its south-west, and the B5106 road farther to its east, and has the town of Betws-y-coed towards the south-east.

When the original 200m height band of Welsh P30 hills were published on Geoff Crowder’s v-g.me website, this hill was not included in the accompanying Hills to be surveyed sub list, as it was considered not to meet the criteria then used for this category.

When the sub list was standardised, and interpolated heights and drop values also included the details for this hill were re-evaluated and it was listed under the point (Pt. 248m) notation with an estimated c 29m of drop, based on the 248m summit spot height that appears on the Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Explorer map and an estimated c 219m bwlch height, based on interpolation of 10m contouring between 210m – 220m. 

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 14 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 Tan y Castell in the apportionments, with the details on the Tithe map appearing in the parish of Betws-y-coed and in the county named as Caernarfonshire. 

Extract from the apportionments

Therefore, the name this hill is now listed by in the 200m Twmpau is Tan y Castell, and this was derived from the Tithe map. 

 

The full details for the hill are:

Group:  Carnedd Llywelyn

Name:  Tan y Castell

Previously Listed Name:  Pt. 248m   

OS 1:50,000 map:  115

Summit Height:  248.7m (LIDAR) 

Summit Grid Reference:  SH 78439 58011 (LIDAR) 

Bwlch Height:  220.0m (LIDAR) 

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SH 78394 58095 (LIDAR) 

Drop:  28.6m (LIDAR) 

 

Myrddyn Phillips (October 2023)