Mapping Mountains – Significant Name Changes – 100m Twmpau and Y Trechol – The Dominant Hills of Wales

Y Milgwns (SM 970 346) 

There has been a Significant Name Change to a hill that is listed in the 100m 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 LIDAR analysis conducted by Myrddyn Phillips. 

LIDAR image of Y Milgwns (SM 970 346)

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

100m Twmpau – Welsh hills at or above 100m and below 200m in height that have 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

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 with the B4313 road to its north-east, the A40 road to its west and a minor road to its south-east, and has the town of Abergwaun (Fishguard) towards the north-west.

The hill appeared in the original Welsh 100m P30 list on Geoff Crowder’s v-g.me website, under the transposed and invented name of Esgyrn Wood Top, with an accompanying note stating; Name from wood to the South.

Esgyrn Wood Top

133m

SM971346

157

35

Name from wood 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 wood and add the word Top 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. 

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 Elin Evans and Julian Fry who live at Cronllwyn in Llanychaer.  Elin’s parents; John and Rhian live in the bungalow adjoined to the farm of Cronllwyn.  Julian offered to speak with Elin’s parents and with the aid of an Ordnance Survey map I pinpointed the hill I was interested in.  After Julian had spoken with Elin’s parents he told me that the area of about four fields at the top of this hill is known locally as The Milgwns.  Julian cannot speak Welsh and although this is how the name was given to him, he advised me to use the definite article ‘Y’ instead of the word ‘The’ as this is how the name would be given in Welsh.

Therefore, the name this hill is now listed by in the 100m Twmpau and Y Trechol – The Dominant Hills of Wales is Y Milgwns, and this was derived from local enquiry. 

 

The full details for the hill are:

Group:  Mynydd Preseli

Name:  Y Milgwns

Previously Listed Name:  Esgyrn Wood Top   

OS 1:50,000 map:  157

Summit Height:  132.7m (LIDAR) 

Summit Grid Reference:  SM 97045 34611 (LIDAR) 

Bwlch Height:  85.5m (LIDAR) 

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SM 97475 34891 (LIDAR) 

Drop:  47.2m (LIDAR) 

Dominance:  35.57% (LIDAR)

 

Myrddyn Phillips (April 2023)