Mapping Mountains – Significant Name Changes – The Welsh P15s

Ten Covers (ST 317 999) 

There has been a Significant Name Change to a hill that used to be listed in the 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 Ten Covers (ST 317 999)

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 Cefn yr Ystrad group of hills, which are situated in the southern part of South Wales (Region B, Sub-Region B5), and it is positioned encircled by minor roads, with the A4042 farther road to its west, and has the town of Pont-y-pŵl (Pontypool) towards the west north-west.

When the listing that became known as The Welsh P15s was being compiled, this hill was included in the main list under the point (Pt. c 118m) notation with an estimated c 15m of drop, based on an estimated c 118m summit height and an estimated c 103m bwlch height, with both heights based on interpolation of 5m contouring. 

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 79 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 Ten Covers in the apportionments, with the details on the Tithe map appearing in the parish named as Usk and in the county named as Monmouth. 

Extract from the apportionments

Therefore, the name this hill is now listed by is Ten Covers, and this was derived from the Tithe map. 

 

The full details for the hill are: 

Group:  Cefn yr Ystrad 

Name:  Ten Covers 

Previously Listed Name:  Pt. c 118m 

OS 1:50,000 map:  171

Summit Height:  116.5m (LIDAR)                                                           

Summit Grid Reference:  ST 31791 99957 (LIDAR)                                                  

Bwlch Height:  104.9m (LIDAR) 

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SO 31583 00118 (LIDAR) 

Drop:  11.6m (LIDAR) 

 

Myrddyn Phillips (May 2025)