Mapping Mountains – Significant Name Changes – 200m Twmpau and Y Trechol – The Dominant Hills of Wales

Crugiau Maen Saeson (SN 141 456) 

There has been a Significant Name Change to a hill that is listed in the 200m Twmpau and Y Trechol – The Dominant Hills of Wales, with the summit height, bwlch height and their locations, the drop, dominance and status of the hill derived from detail on contemporary maps produced from Ordnance Survey data and LIDAR analysis conducted by Myrddyn Phillips. 

LIDAR image of Crugiau Maen Saeson (SN 141 456)

The criteria for the two listings 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 list entitled the 200m Sub-Twmpau, with the criteria for this sub category being all Welsh hills at or above 200m and below 300m 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 200m Twmpau by Myrddyn Phillips

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.  The list is authored by Myrddyn Phillips with the Introduction to the start of the Mapping Mountains publication of this list appearing on the 3^rd December 2015, and the list is now available in its entirety on Mapping Mountains in Google Doc format. 

Y Trechol - The Dominant Hills of Wales by Myrddyn Phillips

The hill is adjoined to the Mynydd Preseli group of hills, which are situated in the south-western part of South Wales (Region B, Sub-Region B1), and it is positioned encircled by minor roads, with the B4546 road farther to its north-east and the A487 road farther to its south-east, and has the town of Aberteifi (Cardigan) towards the east.

The hill appeared in the original Welsh 200m P30 list on Geoff Crowder’s v-g.me website, under the invented and transposed name of Bryn Pantsaeson, with an accompanying note stating; Name from farm to the South-West.

Bryn Pantsaeson

205m

SN142455

145

35/198

Name from farm 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.  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

When compiling the list of the Y Trechol – The Dominant Hills of Wales I made place-name enquiries for a number of hills, including this one.  I contacted Glen Johnson in relation to this hill and its name.  Glen had conducted a tremendous amount of research concentrating on the area surrounding Aberteifi (Cardigan).  He told me the name of the ancient cairns on the summit area of this hill is Crugiau Maen Saeson, with the farm of Maensaeson situated to the west of the summit.  He also said that the cairns are also known locally as Pantygroes Cairns, with the farm of Pantygroes situated north-north-westward from the summit.  Glen explained that the cairns are either side of the minor road that passes to the east and north of the summit area, and that the ancient cairn at the summit may have been damaged when the Reservoir was built close to it.  LIDAR imaging suggests this cairn is intact, although an on-site visit by an archaeologist would confirm one way or the other.

Therefore, the name this hill is now listed by in the 200m Twmpau and Y Trechol – The Dominant Hills of Wales is Crugiau Maen Saeson, and this was derived from local enquiry. 

 

The full details for the hill are:

Group:  Mynydd Preseli

Name:  Crugiau Maen Saeson

Previously Listed Name:  Bryn Pantsaeson 

OS 1:50,000 map:  145

Summit Height:  205.3m (LIDAR) 

Summit Grid Reference:  SN 14104 45618 & SN 14106 45618 (LIDAR) 

Bwlch Height:  c 127m (interpolation) 

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SN 15174 41089 (interpolation) 

Drop:  c 78m (LIDAR summit and interpolated bwlch) 

Dominance:  38.13% (LIDAR summit and interpolated bwlch) 

 

Myrddyn Phillips (March 2023)