Mapping Mountains – Significant Name Changes – The Welsh P15s

 

Lan Ffynnon Las & Disgwylfa (SN 998 433) 

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 Lan Ffynnon Las & Disgwylfa (SN 998 433)

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 the B4519 road to its west and the B4520 road to its east, and has the hamlet of Capel Uchaf (Upper Chapel) towards the south south-east.

When the original 300m height band of Welsh P30 hills was published on Geoff Crowder’s v-g.me website, this hill was not included in the Hills to be surveyed sub list that accompanied the main P30 list, as it was considered not to meet the criteria then used for this sub category.

After the P30 lists were standardised, and interpolated heights and drop values also included, this hill was listed under the point (Pt. 393m) notation, with an estimated c 20m of drop (with subsequent LIDAR analysis giving it 19.98m of drop) based on the 393m summit spot height that appears on the Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Explorer map and an estimated c 373m bwlch height based on interpolation of 10m contouring between 370m – 380m. 

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 2054 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 Lan (of the farm) Ffynnon Las & Disgwylfa in the apportionments, with the details on the Tithe map appearing in the parish named as Merthyr Cynog and in the county named as Brecon. 

Extract from the apportionments

Therefore, the name this hill is now listed by in the The Welsh P15s is Lan Ffynnon Las & Disgwylfa, and this was derived from the Tithe map. 

 

The full details for the hill are: 

Group:  Mynydd Epynt 

Name:  Lan Ffynnon Las & Disgwylfa 

Previously Listed Name:  Pt. 393m 

OS 1:50,000 map:  147, 160

Summit Height:  392.0m (LIDAR)                                                           

Summit Grid Reference:  SN 99802 43305 (LIDAR)                                                  

Bwlch Height:  372.0m (LIDAR) 

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SO 00000 43778 (LIDAR) 

Drop:  19.98m (LIDAR) 

 

Myrddyn Phillips (May 2025)