Mapping Mountains – Significant Name Changes – 30-99m Twmpau and Y Trechol – The Dominant Hills of Wales

Ynys Echni (ST 222 646)

There has been a Significant Name Change to a hill that is listed in the 30-99m Twmpau and Y Trechol – The Dominant Hills of Wales, with the summit height, its location, the drop, dominance and status of the hill confirmed by LIDAR analysis conducted by Myrddyn Phillips.

LIDAR image of Ynys Echni (ST 222 646)

LIDAR summit image of Ynys Echni

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

30-99m Twmpau - Welsh hills at or above 30m and below 100m in height with 30m minimum drop, with an accompanying sub list entitled the 30-99m Sub-Twmpau with the criteria for this sub category being all Welsh hills at or above 30m and below 100m 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.

Y Trechol - The Dominant Hills of Wales - Welsh P30 hills whose prominence  equal or exceed half that of their absolute height.  With the criteria for Lesser Dominant status being those additional Welsh P30 hills whose prominence is between one third and half that of their absolute height, with the Introduction to the Mapping Mountains publication of this list appearing on the 3^rd December 2015, and is now available in its entirety on Mapping Mountains in Google Doc format.

The hill is adjoined to the Bro Morgannwg group of hills, which are situated in the southern part of South Wales (Region C, Sub-Region C2), and as its name implies; it is an island that is situated in the Bristol Channel at the mouth of the River Severn, and has the city of Caerdydd (Cardiff) towards the north and the town of Weston-super-Mare towards the east south-east.

The hill appeared in the original 30-99m Welsh P30 list on Geoff Crowder’s v-g.me website under the name of Flat Holm, which is the name that appears for the island on contemporary Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 Landranger and 1:25,000 Explorer maps.

Flat Holm

32m

ST222646

171/182

151

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 30-99m Twmpau and Y Trechol – The Dominant Hills of Wales is Ynys Echni, as the Welsh name for this hill is prioritised over the anglicised version of its originating Old Norse counterpart of Flat Holm (ON floti, holmr), which for listing purposes is standard practice.

The full details for the hill are:

Group:  Bro Morgannwg

Name:  Ynys Echni

Previously Listed Name:  Flat Holm

 

OS 1:50,000 map:  171, 182

Summit Height:  32.3m (LIDAR)

Summit Grid Reference:  ST 22256 64653 (LIDAR)

Bwlch Height:  not applicable, sea level

Bwlch Grid Reference:  not applicable, sea level

 

Drop:  32.3m (LIDAR)

Dominance:  100.00%

Myrddyn Phillips (December 2019)