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

Cefn y Castell (SJ 305 133) 

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 a Trimble GeoXH 6000 survey conducted by Myrddyn Phillips. 

Cefn y Castell (SJ 305 133)

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 Stiperstones group of hills, which are situated in the north-eastern part of South Wales (Region B, Sub-Region B2), and it is positioned with a minor road to its north and the A458 road to its south, and has the town of Y Trallwng (Welshpool) towards the south-west.

The hill appeared in the original 300m height band of Welsh P30 hills published on Geoff Crowder’s v-g.me website, under the transposed name of Middletown Hill, which is a prominent name that appears adjacent to the summit on the Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 Landranger and 1:25,000 Explorer map.

Middletown Hill

367m

SJ305133

126

240

Since the original publication of the Welsh P30 lists on Geoff Crowder’s v-g.me website there have been a number of maps made available online.  Some of these are historic such as the series of Six-Inch maps on the National Library of Scotland website.  Whilst others were digitally updated such as the Ordnance Survey Vector Map Local that was hosted on the Geograph website and which was entitled the Interactive Coverage Map, whilst others are current and digitally updated such as the interactive mapping on the Magic Maps and WalkLakes websites.  Two of the historic maps now available online are the Ordnance Survey Draft Surveyors map which formed the basis for the first publicly available Ordnance Survey One-Inch ‘Old Series’ map, and it is these maps in conjunction with the Ordnance Survey series of Six-Inch maps that prompt the change in the listed name of this hill. 

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

The Draft Surveyors maps consist of the preliminary drawings made by the Ordnance Survey surveyors between the 1780s and 1840 and formed the basis for the first publicly available One-Inch map.  They were drawn at scales of six inches to the mile for areas considered of particular military significance and down to two inches to the mile for other areas.  Fair copies were then produced from these preliminary drawings to one inch to the mile and then copper plates were prepared for printing.  The Draft Surveyors maps for the whole of Wales are now available online and they form an important part in the study of Welsh upland place-names as they bridge the time frame between the late 18^th century and the mid-19^th century when the Ordnance Survey produced their first One-Inch maps, and importantly for this hill and its listed name, it is this map that uses the name of Cefn y Castell in regard to the ancient fortification on the summit area of this hill. 

Extract from the Ordnance Survey Draft Surveyors Map

The One-Inch ‘Old Series’ map was the first map that Ordnance Survey produced, and their publication culminated from the whole of Britain being surveyed between 1791 and 1874 and the detail gathered therein produced at a scale of one inch to the mile and published in sheet format between 1805 and 1874.  The One-Inch ‘Old Series’ maps for the whole of Wales are now available online; they are also available in map format as enlarged and re-projected versions to match the scale and dimensions of the Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 Landranger series and are published by Cassini.  This series of maps form another important part in the study of Welsh upland place-names and bridge the timeframe leading up to the production of the Ordnance Survey base map of the Six-Inch series, and importantly for this hill and its listed name, it is also this map that places the name Cefn y Castell adjacent to the summit of this hill. 

Extract from the Ordnance Survey One-Inch 'Old Series' map

The Ordnance Survey series of Six-Inch maps formed the base map Ordnance Survey used for many decades leading to the production of the 1:10,000 Series of maps, both have now been superseded by the digitised Master Map.  The series of Six-Inch maps are excellent for name placement and especially so compared to the contemporary Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Explorer map, and it is also the series of Six-Inch maps that places the name of Cefn y Castell adjacent to the ancient fortification at the summit area of this hill.

Extract from the Ordnance Survey series of Six-Inch maps

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 Y Trichant – The 300m Hills of Wales is Cefn y Castell and this was derived from a variety of sources, including the Ordnance Survey Draft Surveyors Map, the One-Inch ‘Old Series’ map and the series of Six-Inch maps.  With the caveat that living in Welshpool this is one of my local hills.  Being brought up an English speaker I have known this hill by its English name of Middletown Hill.  However, the name protocols used within the listing of the Y Trichant – The 300m Hills of Wales distate that the Welsh name of Cefn y Castell should be used. 

 

The full details for the hill are: 

Group:  Stiperstones 

Name:  Cefn y Castell 

Previously Listed Name:  Middletown Hill 

OS 1:50,000 map:  126

Summit Height:  367.8m (converted to OSGM15)                                                           

Summit Grid Reference:  SJ 30523 13332 

Bwlch Height:  271.3m (converted to OSGM15) 

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SJ 29697 13022 

Drop:  96.5m 

 

Myrddyn Phillips (March 2025)