Mapping Mountains – Significant Name Changes – 200m Twmpau

Mountain Park (SN 171 120)

There has been a Significant Name Change to a hill that is listed in the 200m Twmpau, with the summit height, drop and status of the hill being confirmed by LIDAR analysis, with a subsequent Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit survey, with both conducted by Myrddyn Phillips.

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 category entitled the 200m Sub-Twmpau consisting of all Welsh hills at or above 200m and below 300m in height that have 20m or more and below 30m of drop.  With the word Twmpau being an acronym standing for thirty welsh metre prominences and upward. 

The hill is adjoined to the Brandy Hill group of hills, which are situated in the south-western part of Mid and West Wales (Region B, Sub-Region B4), and is positioned with the B 4328 road to its north and has the small community of Tafarn Ysbyty (Tavernspite) towards the north-west.

Lidar image of Mountain Park

The hill appeared in the 200m P30 list on Geoff Crowder’s v-g.me website under the name of Upper Llantydwell, with an accompanying note stating; Name from buildings to the North. 

Upper Llantydwell

200c

SN172120

158

36/177

Name from buildings 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 just use the name of a farm for that of the hill.  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.

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

Extract from the Tithe map

The enclosed land where the summit of this hill is situated is given the number 1093 on the Tithe map, with enclosed land adjoined to it given the number 1092, these 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 has part of same given to it and this refers to the adjoined field given the number of 1092, and this is given the name of Mountain Park on the Tithe map, the details of which appear in the county named as Pembroke and in the parish of Llampeter Velfrey.

Extract from the apportionments

Therefore, the name this hill is now listed by in the 200m Twmpau is Mountain Park and this was derived from the Tithe map.

The full details for the hill are:

Group:  Brandy Hill

Name:  Mountain Park

 

Previously Listed Name:  Upper Llantydwell 

OS 1:50,000 map:  158

Summit Height:  203.7m (converted to OSGM15)

Summit Grid Reference:  SN 17181 12029

Bwlch Height:  173.5m (LIDAR)

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SN 15693 11421 (LIDAR) 

 

Drop:  30.3m (Trimble summit and LIDAR bwlch)

For details on the summit survey of this hill

Myrddyn Phillips (October 2018)