Mapping Mountains – Significant Name Changes – 100m Twmpau

Banc Tan y Cwarel (SN 583 747) 

There has been a Significant Name Change to a hill that is listed in the 100m Twmpau, with the summit height, bwlch height and their locations, the drop and status of the hill derived from LIDAR analysis and a subsequent Trimble GeoXH 6000 survey conducted by Myrddyn Phillips. 

LIDAR image of Banc Tan y Cwarel (SN 583 747)

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 100m Twmpau by Myrddyn Phillips

The hill is adjoined to the Elenydd group of hills which are situated in the western part of Mid and West Wales (Region B, Sub-Region B2), and it is positioned with the A487 road to its north-west and minor roads to its south-west and east, and has the village of Llanfarian towards the north. 

The hill originally appeared in the 100m P30 list on Geoff Crowder’s v-g.me website under the invented and transposed name of Pen y Tancwarel, with an accompanying note stating; Name from buildings to the South.

Pen y Tancwarel

182m

SN583748

135

213

Name from buildings to the South

 

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 a near farm and prefix it with the words Pen y.  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 this hill comprises bounded land the Tithe map was consulted.  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

The enclosed land where the summit of this hill is situated is given the number 554 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 Banc Tan y Cwarel in the apportionments, with the details on the Tithe map appearing in the parish of Llanychaearn and in the county named as Cardigan. 

Extract from the apportionments

Therefore, the name this hill is now listed by in the 100m Twmpau is Banc Tan y Cwarel, and this was derived from the Tithe map. 

 

The full details for the hill are: 

Group:  Elenydd 

Name:  Banc Tan y Cwarel

Previously Listed Name:  Pen y Tancwarel 

OS 1:50,000 map:  135

Summit Height:  182.9m (converted to OSGM15, Trimble GeoXH 6000)

Summit Grid Reference:  SN 58349 74798 (Trimble GeoXH 6000)

Bwlch Height:  142.3m (LIDAR)

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SN 57897 75028 (LIDAR) 

Drop:  40.55m (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR bwlch)

 

Myrddyn Phillips (May 2021)