Mapping Mountains – Significant Name Changes – 200m Twmpau

Ffridd Tyddyn Bach (SH 656 139)

There has been a Significant Name Change to a hill that was surveyed for 200m Sub-Twmpau status with the Trimble GeoXH 6000, with the summit height confirmed by the survey which was conducted by Myrddyn Phillips on the 17^th February 2018, and LIDAR analysis for the bwlch.

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

200m Twmpau – All Welsh hills at and above 200m and below 300m in height that have 30m minimum drop, with the word Twmpau being an acronym for ‘thirty welsh metre prominences and upward’.  With an accompanying sub category entitled the 200m Sub-Twmpau consisting of all Welsh hills at and above 200m and below 300m in height that have 20m or more and below 30m of drop.

The hill is adjoined to the Cadair Idris range of hills which are situated in the south-western part of North Wales (Region A, Sub-Region A3), and it overlooks the double lakes of Llynnau Cregennan to its north-east and the small community of Arthog towards its west north-west. 

Ffridd Tyddyn Bach (SH 656 139) on the left of photo

The hill did not appear in the 200m P30 list on Geoff Crowder’s v-g.me website as it did not meet the criteria set for the accompanying sub list which was entitled Hills to be surveyed, therefore it has not been included in any known hill list, however the name associated with it is worth documenting as it does not appear on any Ordnance Survey map.

As the summit of this hill and that of its slightly higher north-westerly top positioned at SH 65486 14081 comprise bounded land the details for each 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 Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Explorer map

Extract from the Tithe map

The enclosed land where the summit of this hill is situated is given the number 100b 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 Tyddynbach, the details on the Tithe map appear in the county named as Merioneth and in the parish of Llangelynin.

Extract from the apportionments

However, for confirmation of the land boundary I visited Arwyn Lloyd who lives and has farmed from Ffridd Boedel (SH 659 140) for 40 years, this small farm house is situated to the immediate east of this bounded land.  Arwyn described the whole of this bounded land as Ffriddoedd and confirmed that the summit of the hill which is positioned at SH 65693 13963 and which we were looking up to from just above his farm house is on land associated with Tyddyn Bach, a farm positioned at SH 654 145, and that the name Ffridd Tyddyn Bach is appropriate.

Arwyn Lloyd of Ffridd Boedel farm

Therefore, the name this hill is now documented by in relation to the 200m Twmpau is Ffridd Tyddyn Bach, and this was derived from the Tithe map and local enquiry.

 

The full details for the hill are:

Group:  Cadair Idris

Name:  Ffridd Tyddyn Bach

Previously Listed Name:  not previously listed 

Summit Height:  272.0m (converted to OSGM15)

OS 1:50,000 map:  124

Summit Grid Reference:  SH 65693 13963 

 

Drop:  12.4m (Trimble summit and LIDAR bwlch) 

The Trimble GeoXH 6000 gathering data at the summit of Ffridd Tyddyn Bach (SH 656 139)

For details on the survey of Ffridd Tyddyn Bach

Myrddyn Phillips (March 2018)