Mapping Mountains – Significant Name Changes – The Welsh P15s

Porfa Bwlch (SN 987 491) 

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 Porfa Bwlch (SN 987 491)

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 Epynt group of hills, which are situated in the central part of South Wales (Region B, Sub-Region B1), and it is positioned with a minor road to its north and east, and the A483 road farther to its north, and has the town of Llanfair-ym-Muallt (Builth Wells) towards the east north-east.

When the listing that became known as The Welsh P15s was being compiled, this hill was listed under the point (Pt. 276m) notation with an estimated c 2om of drop, based on the 276m summit spot height that appeared on the Ordnance Survey Vector Map Local hosted on the Geograph website and which was entitled the Interactive Coverage Map and an estimated c 256m bwlch height, based on interpolation of 10m contouring between 250m – 260m. 

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 157 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 Pasture Adjoining Bwlch in the apportionments, with the details on the Tithe map appearing in the parish named as Llanynys and in the county named as Breconshire. 

Extract from the apportionments

The intricacies of language and prioritising one in favour of another for listing a hill is fraught with complication, with originating Cymraeg names being anglicised and also originating English names being cymricised, examples such as these are more common in border country and especially so for anglicised forms.  There is no steadfast rule that fits all, but as a standard a name that has its origins in the Welsh language and where this is substantiated by either historic documentation and/or contemporary usage should be prioritised in favour of a contemporary anglicised or English version of the name.  Likewise, if a name exists where an element of it is in English and if this name applies to a hill that is situated in a Welsh speaking part of Wales it is standard practice to use a full Welsh term for the name.  It is also standard practice to use a Welsh name for a hill if another name exists that has originated in a different language.

Therefore, the name this hill is now listed by in The Welsh P15s is Porfa Bwlch and this was derived from the Tithe map with the language protocol being used, with a translation of Porfa Bwlch being Bwlch Pasture. 

 

The full details for the hill are: 

Group:  Mynydd Epynt 

Name:  Porfa Bwlch

Previously Listed Name:  Pt. 276m 

OS 1:50,000 map:  147

Summit Height:  273.8m (LIDAR) 

Summit Grid Reference:  SN 98775 49136 & SN 98777 49139 (LIDAR) 

Bwlch Height:  253.8m (LIDAR) 

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SN 98928 49112 (LIDAR) 

Drop:  19.95m (LIDAR) 

 

Myrddyn Phillips (February 2025)