Mapping Mountains – Significant Name Changes – Y Trichant – The 300m Hills of Wales

 

Breiddin (SJ 295 144) 

There has been a Significant Name Change to a hill that is listed in the Y Trichant – The 300m Hills of Wales, with the summit height, bwlch height and their locations, the drop and status of the hill derived from a Trimble GeoXH 6000 survey conducted by Myrddyn Phillips. 

Breiddin (SJ 295 144) with the distinctive Rodney's Pillar on the left of the photo

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

Y Trichant – The 300m Hills of Wales – Welsh hills at or above 300m and below 400m in height that have 30m minimum drop, with an accompanying sub list entitled the Sub-Trichant, with the criteria for this sub category being all Welsh hills at or above 300m and below 400m in height with 20m or more and below 30m of drop.  The list is authored by Myrddyn Phillips with the Introduction to the list and the renaming of it appearing on Mapping Mountains on the 13^th May 2017, and the Introduction to the Mapping Mountains publication of the list appearing on the 1^st January 2022. 

Y Trichant - The 300m Hills of Wales 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 a minor road to its north-west and south, the A483 road farther to its west and the A458 road farther to its south-east, and has the town of Y Trallwng (Welshpool) towards the south-west. 

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

The hill appeared in the original 300m height band of Welsh P30 hills published on Geoff Crowder’s v-g.me website, under the transposed name of Breidden Hill, which is a prominent name that appears adjacent to the summit of this hill on the Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 Landranger and 1:25,000 Explorer map.

Breidden Hill

365m

SJ295144

126

240

Clem/Yeaman. Trig pillar. aka Rodney's Pillar

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 Y Trichant – The 300m Hills of Wales is Breiddin and this was derived from a variety of sources, it being the accepted Welsh composition of the name of this hill. 

 

The full details for the hill are: 

Group:  Stiperstones 

Name:  Breiddin 

Previously Listed Name:  Breidden Hill 

OS 1:50,000 map:  126

Summit Height:  366.6m (converted to OSGM15)                                                           

Summit Grid Reference:  SJ 29510 14414 

Bwlch Height:  260.4m (converted to OSGM15) 

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SJ 29166 13081 

Drop:  106.2m 

 

Myrddyn Phillips (March 2025)