Mapping Mountains – Significant Name Changes – The Welsh P15s

 

Tyn Ffynnon (SN 549 487) 

There has been a Significant Name Change to a hill that is listed in The Welsh P15s, with the summit height, bwlch height and their locations, the drop and status of the hill derived from LIDAR analysis conducted by Myrddyn Phillips. 

LIDAR image of Tyn Ffynnon (SN 549 487)

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

The Welsh P15s – Welsh hills with 15m minimum drop, irrespective of their height, with an accompanying sub list entitled the Welsh Sub-P15s, with the criteria for this sub category being all Welsh hills with 14m or more and below 15m of drop.  The list is authored by Myrddyn Phillips, with the Introduction to the list appearing on Mapping Mountains on the 10^th May 2019. 

The Welsh P15s by Myrddyn Phillips

The hill is adjoined to the Mynydd Bach group of hills, which are situated in the western part of South Wales (Region B, Sub-Region B1), and it is positioned encircled by minor roads, with the B4337 road farther to its west, the A475 road farther to its south and the A482 road farther to its east, and has the town of Llanbedr Pont Steffan (Lampeter) towards the east south-east.

When the original 200m height band of Welsh P30 hills were published on Geoff Crowder’s v-g.me website, this hill was included in the accompanying sub list and listed under the invented and transposed name of Allt Ty-llwyd, with an accompanying note stating; Name from buildings to the South-East.

Allt Ty-llwyd

224m

SN550487

146

199

Name from buildings to the South-East.

 

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 farm and add the word Allt to 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. 

When the sub list was standardised, and interpolated heights and drop values also included the details for this hill were re-evaluated and the summit of the qualifying hill relocated to SN 564 484. 

Subsequently, when the listing that became known as The Welsh P15s was being compiled, this hill was listed under the point (Pt. 224m) notation with an estimated c 16m of drop, based on the 224m summit spot height that appears on the Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 Landranger map and 1:25,000 Explorer map and an estimated c 208m bwlch height, based on interpolation of 5m contouring between 205m - 210m that appeared on the Ordnance Survey Vector Map Local hosted on the Geograph website and which was entitled the Interactive Coverage Map. 

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 Tithe map

The enclosed land where the summit of this hill is situated is given the number 489 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 Tyn Ffynnon in the apportionments, with the details on the Tithe map appearing in the parish of Llanbedr Pont Steffan and in the county named as Cardigan. 

Extract from the apportionments

Therefore, the name this hill is now listed by in The Welsh P15s is Tyn Ffynnon and this was derived from the Tithe map. 

 

The full details for the hill are: 

Group:  Mynydd Bach 

Name:  Tyn Ffynnon

Previously Listed Name:  Pt. 224m (previously Allt Ty-llwyd) 

OS 1:50,000 map:  146

Summit Height:  224.3m (LIDAR)                                                           

Summit Grid Reference:  SN 54956 48738 (LIDAR) 

Bwlch Height:  210.0m (LIDAR) 

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SN 55631 48720 (LIDAR) 

Drop:  14.3m (LIDAR) 

 

Myrddyn Phillips (December 2022)