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

Lan Brynffo (SN 851 408) 

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 Lan Brynffo (SN 851 408)

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 Epynt group of hills, which are situated in the central part of South Wales (Region B, Sub-Region B1), and it is positioned with a minor road to its north and west, and the A483 road farther to its north-west, and has the town of Llanwrtyd towards the north 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. 338m) notation with an estimated c 25m of drop, based on the 338m summit spot height that appears on the contemporary Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Explorer map, and an estimated c 313m bwlch height, based on interpolation of 10m contouring between 310m – 320m.

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 2235 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 Lan (of the farm) Brynffo in the apportionments, with the details on the Tithe map appearing in the parish of Llanfair-ar-y-bryn and in the county named as Carmarthenshire. 

Extract from the apportionments

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

 

The full details for the hill are: 

Group:  Mynydd Epynt 

Name:  Lan Brynffo 

Previously Listed Name:  Pt. 338m 

OS 1:50,000 map:  147, 160

Summit Height:  338.0m (LIDAR)                                                           

Summit Grid Reference:  SN 85196 40863 (LIDAR) 

Bwlch Height:  311.9m (LIDAR) 

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SN 85003 40781 & SN 85003 40772 (LIDAR) 

Drop:  26.1m (LIDAR) 

 

My thanks to Aled Williams for advice regarding the listed name of this hill

Myrddyn Phillips (February 2024)