Mapping Mountains – Significant Name Changes – The Welsh P15s

Lan Fawr (SN 420 147) 

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 Fawr (SN 420 147)

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 Sylen group of hills, which are situated in the southern part of South Wales (Region B, Sub-Region B5), and it is positioned with a minor road to its north and south-east, the A484 road to its west and the B4309 road to its east, and has the town of Caerfyrddin (Carmarthen) towards the north.

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. 139m) notation with 15m of drop, based on the 139m summit spot height adjoined to a triangulation pillar positioned at SN 42032 14695 that appears on the Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 Landranger and 1:25,000 Explorer map, and the 124m bwlch spot height that appears on the Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Explorer map. 

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 554 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 Fawr in the apportionments, with the details on the Tithe map appearing in the parish named as Llandyfaelog and in the county named as Carmarthen. 

Extract from the apportionments

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

 

The full details for the hill are: 

Group:  Mynydd Sylen 

Name:  Lan Fawr

Previously Listed Name:  Pt. 139m 

OS 1:50,000 map:  159

Summit Height:  139.7m (LIDAR)                                                           

Summit Grid Reference:  SN 42050 14708 & SN 42058 14704 (LIDAR)

Bwlch Height:  123.3m (LIDAR) 

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SN 43780 15743 (LIDAR) 

Drop:  16.5m (LIDAR) 

 

Myrddyn Phillips (May 2025)