Mapping Mountains – Significant Name Changes – 200m Twmpau

 

Pentre Hill (SJ 110 151) 

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 Pentre Hill (SJ 110 151)

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.  The list is authored by Myrddyn Phillips, with the word Twmpau being an acronym standing for thirty welsh metre prominences and upward. 

200m Twmpau by Myrddyn Phillips

The hill is adjoined to the Foel Cedig group of hills, which are situated in the central part of North Wales (Region A, Sub-Region A3), and it is positioned encircled by minor roads, with the B4393 road farther to its north, the B4382 road farther to its west and the A495 road farther to its south-east, and has the village of Meifod towards the east 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 listed under the invented and directional name of Ffynnon Arthur South Top, with an accompanying note stating; Name from hill to the North.

Ffynnon Arthur South Top

260c

SJ110151

125

239

Name from hill to the North

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 use a directional name based on supplanting the contentious name of a near hill and adding a directional component to it.  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

During a walk to the north of this hill I met John Evans, who farms from Tyncelyn, which is situated to the north-east of this hill.  When I met him he was shepherding sheep up the country lane to their field, once the sheep were penned in we talked about a number of hills which in the main were on the land he farms.  However, I also pointed toward this hill which was just to our south, it was prominent to distinguish as it has the remains of a wind turbine on it whose blades no longer exist.  John and his colleague; Aled Watkins both knew it as Pentre Hill, with the farm of Pentre positioned to its north-west.

Aled Watkins (on left), and John Evans

Therefore, the name this hill is now listed by in the 200m Twmpau is Pentre Hill, and this was derived from local enquiry. 

 

The full details for the hill are:

Group:  Foel Cedig

Name:  Pentre Hill

Previously Listed Name:  Ffynnon Arthur South Top   

OS 1:50,000 map:  125

Summit Height:  261.5m (LIDAR) 

Summit Grid Reference:  SJ 11034 15122 & SJ 11035 15123 (LIDAR) 

Bwlch Height:  234.2m (LIDAR) 

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SJ 11144 15205 (LIDAR) 

Drop:  27.3m (LIDAR) 

 

Myrddyn Phillips (December 2024)