Mapping Mountains – Significant Name Changes – 100m Twmpau

Yr Arwydd (SH 388 824)

There has been a Significant Name Change to a hill that is listed in the 100m Twmpau, with the summit height determined by a survey with the Trimble GeoXH 6000 conducted by Myrddyn Phillips, which took place on the 28^th October 2018.

The summit of Yr Arwydd is in the background on the right

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

               

100m Twmpau - Welsh hills at or above 100m and below 200m in height with 30m minimum drop, with an accompanying sub list entitled the 100m Sub-Twmpau with the criteria for this sub category being all Welsh hills at or above 100m and below 200m in height with 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 Ynys Môn group of hills, which are situated in the north-western part of North Wales (Region A, Sub-Region A1), and it is positioned with the B5112 road to its south-east, and has the small community of Carmel to its south-west.

When the origin 100m height band of Welsh P30 hills were published on Geoff Crowder’s v-g.me website, this hill was listed under the partly invented and transposed name of Bryn Carmel, with an accompanying note stating; Name from hamlet to the South-West.

Bryn Carmel

116m

SH388825

114

262

Trig pillar. Name from hamlet to the South-West

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 transpose the name of the small community to the south-west of the summit of the hill and put the word Bryn in front of 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

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 Welsh Tithe Maps website showing the comparison details taken from the Ordnance Survey Six-Inch map

The enclosed land where the summit of this hill is situated is given the number 30a 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 Yr arwydd in the apportionments, with the details on the Tithe map appearing in the parish of Llechgynfarwy and in the county named as Anglesey.

Extract from the apportionments

After visiting this hill I asked a person who was working outside one of the houses in Carmel if they knew where the local farmer lived, I was directed up the lane to a bungalow which is positioned beside the field where the summit of the hill is situated.  Having knocked on its door, Medwen Roberts opened it and greeted me with a smile, I said hello and introduced myself and explained my interest in her field and asked if she knew a name for the hill or the field where its summit is situated, she told me the hill has no name but the field is known as Yr Arwydd.  During our conversation Medwen explained that this is her field and that she had lived in Carmel for 60 years and is now aged 79.  Before leaving I walked to the gate with Medwen that gives access to her field from her bungalow and she kindly stood beside it whilst I took a series of photographs.

Medwen Roberts

Therefore, the name this hill is now listed by in the 100m Twmpau is Yr Arwydd, and this was derived from the Tithe map and substantiated by local enquiry.

The full details for the hill are:

Group:  Ynys Môn

Name:  Yr Arwydd

Previously Listed Name:  Bryn Carmel 

OS 1:50,000 map:  114

Summit Height:  116.9m (converted to OSGM15)

Summit Grid Reference:  SH 38800 82447

Bwlch Height:  c 79m

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SH 40939 83373 (I)

 

Drop:  c 38m

For details on the summit survey of this hill

Myrddyn Phillips (May 2019)