Mapping Mountains – Significant Name Changes – The Welsh P15s

Banc Ucha (SN 663 942) 

There has been a Significant Name Change to a hill that was 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 Banc Ucha (SN 663 942)

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 Banc Llechwedd Mawr group of hills, which are situated in the north-western part of South Wales (Region B, Sub-Region B1), and it is positioned with the B4353 road to its south-west and the A487 road to its south-east, and has the small community of Borth towards the south-west.

When the listing that became known as The Welsh P15s was being compiled, this hill was included in the accompanying sub list under the point (Pt. 23m) notation with an estimated c 14m of drop, based on the 23m summit spot height that appears on the Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Explorer map and an estimated c 9m bwlch height, based on interpolation of 10m contouring between 0 – 10m. 

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 54 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 Banc Ucha in the apportionments, with the details on the Tithe map appearing in the parish named as Llangynfelyn and in the county named as Cardigan. 

Extract from the apportionments

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

 

The full details for the hill are: 

Group:  Banc Llechwedd Mawr 

Name:  Banc Ucha 

Previously Listed Name:  Pt. 23m 

OS 1:50,000 map:  135

Summit Height:  24.0m (LIDAR)                                                           

Summit Grid Reference:  SN 66390 94246 (LIDAR)                                                  

Bwlch Height:  9.6m (LIDAR) 

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SN 66330 94133 & SN 66332 94132 (LIDAR) 

Drop:  14.4m (LIDAR) 

 

Myrddyn Phillips (September 2025)