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

Banc Cwmnewydion (SN 718 749) 

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 LIDAR analysis and a subsequent Trimble GeoXH 6000 survey conducted by Myrddyn Phillips. 

Banc Cwmnewydion (SN 718 749)

Although the name of this hill remains as first listed, this was based on invention which has fortunately been substantiated by an early edition Ordnance Survey map available via the website hosting the Tithe maps; therefore as the name of this hill has been substantiated the details for it are worth documenting under the Significant Name Changes heading. 

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. 

Y Trichant - The 300m Hills of Wales by Myrddyn Phillips

The hill is adjoined to the Elenydd group of hills which are situated in the central part of the Mid and West Wales Region (Region B, Sub-Region B2), and it is encircled by minor roads with farther afield the A4120 road to its north and the B4343 road to its east, and has the village of Pontarfynach (Devil’s Bridge) towards the north-east. 

When the original 300m height band of Welsh P30 hills were published on Geoff Crowder’s v-g.me website this hill was listed with what was then an invented and transposed name of Banc Cwmnewydion, with an accompanying note stating; Name from stream to the South.

Banc Cwmnewydion

344m

SN718749

135/147

213

Name from stream to the South

 

During my early hill listing I thought it appropriate to either invent a name for a hill, or use a name that appeared near to the summit of the hill on Ordnance Survey maps of the day.  My preference was to use farm names and put Pen, Bryn or Moel in front of them or as in this instance transpose the name of a near stream and prefix it with the word Banc.  This is not a practice that I now advocate as with time and inclination place-name data can be improved either by asking local people or by examining historic documents, through this form of research an appropriate name for the hill can usually be found. 

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. 

The Website hosting the Tithe maps also has projections of other maps including an early edition Ordnance Survey map and an Ordnance Survey Six-Inch map, and importantly is it the former that names the land taking in this hill as Banc Cwmnewydion. 

Extract from an early edition Ordnance Survey map

Therefore, the name this hill is now listed by in the Y Trichant – The 300m Hills of Wales is Banc Cwmnewydion and this was derived from an early edition Ordnance Survey map. 

 

The full details for the hill are: 

Group:  Elenydd 

Name:  Banc Cwmnewydion 

Previously Listed Name:  Banc Cwmnewydion 

OS 1:50,000 map:  135, 147

Summit Height:  343.3 (converted to OSGM15, Trimble GeoXH 6000) 

Summit Grid Reference:  SN 71839 74977 (Trimble GeoXH 6000) 

Bwlch Height:  306.0m (LIDAR) 

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SN 71791 76371 (LIDAR) 

Drop:  37.3m (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR bwlch) 

 

Myrddyn Phillips (May 2021)

 

 

 

  

Mapping Mountains – Trimble Surveys – Elenydd

 

22.10.20  Banc Cwmnewydion (SN 718 749) 

Banc Cwmnewydion (SN 718 749)

Banc Cwmnewydion was the last of seven hills I visited during the day.  It had stared back at me from Penpegws (SN 702 755) earlier in the day, as it also did so from Pen Felin Wynt (SN 725 759).  It looked a good hill to finish my day’s exploits on.  Last hills are somewhat of a blessing, but they also signal an ending, which can be on occasion anticlimactic.  Today, I was content with what I had done, and although I had sufficient time to visit more hills I had decided that this would be my last before the 17 day Covid-19 lockdown restrictions came in to force in Wales.  I had explored this area in depth over the last few weeks, visiting the majority of its P30s, and it was now time to enjoy this last hill, savour its surrounds and head back home. 

Prior to visiting I’d examined its numerical details via LIDAR and produced ten figure grid references and heights for both its summit and bwlch.  Today I just wanted to visit its summit and gather Trimble data from where I deemed its natural high point lay, the LIDAR for the bwlch would suffice. 

LIDAR image of Banc Cwmnewydion

Banc Cwmnewydion rises above the southern shore of Llyn Frongoch, and this lake frames the hill from its north.  I parked beside its southern shore and walked the short distance on the continuation of the narrow lane that winds its way around the southern outskirts of the lake.  The land hereabouts is attractively quiet, with few vehicles and houses, it lends itself to a leisurely pace of life, and today I enjoyed this aspect and quietly went about my hill bagging in an unrushed way. 

The narrow lane soon bisects and I veered right to where a public footpath gains a track that eventually leads to the farm of Gwarllyn.  I soon left the track and followed a fence that strode up the eastern flank of the hill in a straight line until the summit ridge was reached.  I stopped occasionally on the ascent, looking out across the picturesque surrounds of the lake. 

By the time I reached the summit the sun highlighted the land and picked out detail on the small rocky rib that constitutes the high point.  I stood and savoured the scene.  I spent a few minutes assessing the lay of land for Trimble placement, and once the equipment was set-up gathering data, I stood below the summit, noted all necessary detail in my notebook and just enjoyed where I was and what I was doing.  Simple pleasures can sometimes be the best. 

Gathering data at the summit of Banc Cwmnewydion

Once the allotted data were gathered and stored, I closed the equipment down, took a few photos, packed it away and looked out to the hills I had visited and eventually turned away from the high point and retraced my steps back to the car. 

It had been a good day with seven hills visited in all, six of these being P30s and one being a sub.  I’d been on the go since 8.05am and it was just past 3.00pm when I arrived back at my car.  Still sufficient time for a couple more hills, but I was more than content with the day’s endeavours and felt this a fitting time to stop, head home and hunker down to write a multitude of articles and process all outstanding data, and the seventeen day Welsh Covid-19 lock down should give time aplenty to do this. 

 

Survey Result: 

 

Banc Cwmnewydion (significant name change)  

Summit Height:  343.3m (converted to OSGM15, Trimble GeoXH 6000)

Summit Grid Reference:  SN 71839 74977 (Trimble GeoXH 6000) 

Bwlch Height:  306.0m (LIDAR)

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SN 71791 76371 (LIDAR)

Drop:  37.3m (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR bwlch)

Dominance:  10.87% (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR bwlch)

 

 

For further details please consult the Trimble Survey Spreadsheet