Mapping Mountains – Significant Name Changes – 30-99m Twmpau

Belan Bank (SJ 318 157) 

There has been a Significant Name Change to a hill that is now listed in the 30-99m Twmpau, 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 Belan Bank (SJ 318 157)

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

30-99m Twmpau - Welsh hills at or above 30m and below 100m in height that have 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.  The list is authored by Myrddyn Phillips, with the word Twmpau being an acronym standing for thirty welsh metre prominences and upward. 

30-99m Twmpau by Myrddyn Phillips

The hill is adjoined to the Stiperstones group of hills, which are situated in the north-eastern part of South Wales (Region B, Sub-Region B2), and it is positioned with the Afon Hafren (River Severn) to its north and the B4393 road to its south, and has the small community of Crew Green towards the south-east.

When the original 30-99m height band of Welsh P30 hills were published on Geoff Crowder’s v-g.me website, this hill was not included in the Hills to be surveyed sub list, as it was considered not to meet the criteria then used for this sub category.

After the sub list was standardised, and interpolated heights and drop values also included this hill was still not listed, with its details subsequently documented under the point (Pt. c 83m) notation with an estimated c 17m of drop, based on an estimated c 83m summit height and an estimated c 66m bwlch height, with both heights based on interpolation of 10m contouring. 

Extract from the Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Explorer map

Since the original publication of the Welsh P30 lists on Geoff Crowder’s v-g.me website, there have been a number of maps made available online.  Some of these are historic such as the series of Six-Inch maps on the National Library of Scotland website.  Whilst others were digitally updated such as the Ordnance Survey Vector Map Local that was hosted on the Geograph website and which was entitled the Interactive Coverage Map, whilst others are current and digitally updated such as the interactive mapping on the Magic Maps and WalkLakes websites, and it is the series of Ordnance Survey Six-Inch maps in conjunction with the Tithe map that form the basis of the change in the listed name of this hill. 

Extract from the Ordnance Survey series of Six-Inch maps

The Ordnance Survey series of Six-Inch maps formed the base map Ordnance Survey used for many decades leading to the production of the 1:10,000 Series of maps, both have now been superseded by the digitised Master Map.  The series of Six-Inch maps are excellent for name placement and especially so compared to the contemporary Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Explorer map, and it is the series of Six-Inch maps that position the name of Belan Bank adjacent to land where the summit of this hill is situated.

Extract from the Tithe map

As the summit of this hill comprises bounded land the details for it were also 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 apportionments

The enclosed land where the summit of this hill is situated is given the number 409 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 Belan Bank in the apportionments, with the details on the Tithe map appearing in the parish of Alberbury and in the county named as Montgomery.

Therefore, the name this hill is now listed by in the 30-99m Twmpau is Belan Bank, and this was derived from the Ordnance Survey series of Six-Inch maps and the Tithe map. 

 

The full details for the hill are:

Group:  Stiperstones

Name:  Belan Bank

Previously Listed Name:  Pt. c 83m   

OS 1:50,000 map:  126

Summit Height:  82.7m (LIDAR) 

Summit Grid Reference:  SJ 31880 15779 (LIDAR)               

Bwlch Height:  60.9m (LIDAR) 

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SJ 32051 15734 (LIDAR) 

Drop:  21.9m (LIDAR) 

 

Myrddyn Phillips (February 2025)