Mapping Mountains – Significant Name Changes – 500m Twmpau and Welsh Highlands – Uchafion Cymru

 

Mynydd St Ioan (SH 973 202) 

There has been a Significant Name Change to a hill that is listed in the 500m Twmpau and 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. 

Mynydd St Ioan (SH 973 202)

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

500m Twmpau – Welsh hills at or above 500m and below 600m in height with 30m minimum drop, with an accompanying sub category entitled the 500m Sub-Twmpau consisting of all Welsh hills at or above 500m and below 600m 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.

500m Twmpau by Myrddyn Phillips

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 Aled Williams and Myrddyn Phillips

The hill is adjoined to the Esgeiriau Gwynion group of hills, which are situated in the southern part of North Wales (Region A, Sub-Region A3), and it is positioned with the B4393 road to its north-east, and has the village of Llanwddyn towards the east south-east.

When the listing that became known as the 500m Twmpau and also the listing that became known as the Welsh Highlands – Uchafion Cymru was first compiled by Myrddyn Phillips, this hill appeared under the name of Mynydd St John, which is a prominent name that appears beside the summit of the hill on the 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 500m Twmpau and Welsh Highlands – Uchafion Cymru is Mynydd St Ioan and this was derived from the contemporary Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 Landranger and 1:25,000 Explorer map, with the prioritised language protocol being used.  Interestingly the Welsh name of Ioan is also used on these maps for a ffridd that is positioned to the east of the summit of this hill. 

 

The full details for the hill are: 

Group:  Esgeiriau Gwynion 

Name:  Mynydd St Ioan 

Previously Listed Name:  Mynydd St John 

OS 1:50,000 map:  125 

Summit Height:  512.9m (LIDAR) 

Summit Grid Reference:  SH 97379 20286 (LIDAR) 

Bwlch Height:  489.1m (LIDAR) 

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SH 96246 19964 (LIDAR) 

Drop:  23.8m (LIDAR) 

 

Myrddyn Phillips and Aled Williams (December 2024)