Mapping Mountains – Significant Name Changes – 100m Twmpau

Banc Tan y Cwarel (SN 583 747) 

There has been a Significant Name Change to a hill that is listed in the 100m Twmpau, 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. 

LIDAR image of Banc Tan y Cwarel (SN 583 747)

The criteria for the list that this name change applies to are:

100m Twmpau - Welsh hills at or above 100m and below 200m in height with 30m minimum drop, with an accompanying sub list entitled the 100m Sub-Twmpau with the criteria for this sub category being all Welsh hills at or above 100m and below 200m in height with 20m or more and below 30m of drop, with the word Twmpau being an acronym standing for thirty welsh metre prominences and upward. 

The 100m Twmpau by Myrddyn Phillips

The hill is adjoined to the Elenydd group of hills which are situated in the western part of Mid and West Wales (Region B, Sub-Region B2), and it is positioned with the A487 road to its north-west and minor roads to its south-west and east, and has the village of Llanfarian towards the north. 

The hill originally appeared in the 100m P30 list on Geoff Crowder’s v-g.me website under the invented and transposed name of Pen y Tancwarel, with an accompanying note stating; Name from buildings to the South.

Pen y Tancwarel

182m

SN583748

135

213

Name from buildings 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 farm and prefix it with the words Pen y.  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 this hill comprises bounded land the Tithe map was consulted.  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 Banc Tan y Cwarel in the apportionments, with the details on the Tithe map appearing in the parish of Llanychaearn and in the county named as Cardigan. 

Extract from the apportionments

Therefore, the name this hill is now listed by in the 100m Twmpau is Banc Tan y Cwarel, and this was derived from the Tithe map. 

 

The full details for the hill are: 

Group:  Elenydd 

Name:  Banc Tan y Cwarel

Previously Listed Name:  Pen y Tancwarel 

OS 1:50,000 map:  135

Summit Height:  182.9m (converted to OSGM15, Trimble GeoXH 6000)

Summit Grid Reference:  SN 58349 74798 (Trimble GeoXH 6000)

Bwlch Height:  142.3m (LIDAR)

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SN 57897 75028 (LIDAR) 

Drop:  40.55m (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR bwlch)

 

Myrddyn Phillips (May 2021)

  

Mapping Mountains – Trimble Surveys – Elenydd

 

15.10.20  Banc Tan y Cwarel (SN 583 747) 

LIDAR image of Banc Tan y Cwarel (SN 583 747)

Hill walking is like most things in life; as preparation beforehand can save time when on the hill.  And when faced with writing blog posts and detailing name changes or summit relocations, analysis of LIDAR and scrutinising the Tithe map beforehand can give an accurate summit and bwlch location and an appropriate name for the hill. 

Whereas LIDAR helps with height and position the Tithe is proving extremely important for finding appropriate names for lower heighted hills that are not necessarily thought of as ‘hills’ in the local community, more as high fields. 

Therefore, having done the prep, Charles and I visited this hill and I had come prepared with detailed notes for its summit position and with the Tithe name of Banc Tan y Cwarel for the enclosed land that takes in the high point of the hill. 

The morning was proving glorious with blue skies and just a tinge of autumnal warmth.  I parked my car on a grass verge opposite a gate that gave access to a disused small quarry which is placed north-east of the hill’s summit.  The quarry had left a vertical face of slate or mud stone, which in the late morning light glistened in inviting hues of grey. 

The small disused quarry

Ground rose steeply on the left-hand side of the quarry and we followed this up to a fence which gave access to a field leading toward the high point of the hill.  Crossing the field a Red Kite glided overhead, looking up I could distinctly see its eyes looking down toward us.  These are majestic birds and a number had glided the skies surrounding us during the morning’s hill bagging.

Always a pleasure seeing Red Kite's flying overhead

The high point of the hill was beside a gate which had raised field boundaries running from it.  Under a section of the gate and beside one of these boundaries was a large rock.  We debated whether the summit of the hill was the top of the rock or ground near its base, as although the rock is obviously natural it was an oddity as no other rock could be seen on the area of the summit.  It could of course be an erratic, or it could for whatever reason have been brought here by a farmer.  We concluded that we could not prove this one way or the other, and as the rock could not be moved it was now a part of the hill and therefore should be the point to gather data from. 

Gathering data at the summit of Banc Tan y Cwarel

As the Trimble quietly beeped away gathering its allotted data I sat with Charles on the lower part of one of the adjacent raised field boundaries and enjoyed the sunshine and the peaceful surrounds. 

Once the Trimble had gathered and stored data, I closed it down and before leaving the summit looked out toward our previous hill of the morning; Banc (SN 568 757) with its high mast dominating the westward view.  Between us and it were a myriad of grazing fields with the customary small white dots of sheep and the small community of Blaen-plwyf winding its way up beside a narrow lane. 

If visiting all nine hills on our planned route for the day, it would take us on a sweep southward of Aberystwyth edging our way eastward as we did so.  Banc Tan y Cwarel was our fourth hill of the morning, all had been done at a leisurely pace and now turning away from the summit we retraced our steps back toward the quarry and the awaiting car.  Our next hill, with its upper field also named on the Tithe as Banc (SN 598 714); was positioned about 3.5km south south-eastward from where we now were.  The day was progressing well and proving very enjoyable.

 

Survey Result: 

 

Banc Tan y Cwarel (significant name change)  

Summit Height:  182.9m (converted to OSGM15, Trimble GeoXH 6000)

Summit Grid Reference:  SN 58349 74798 (Trimble GeoXH 6000) 

Bwlch Height:  142.3m (LIDAR)

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SN 57897 75028 (LIDAR)

Drop:  40.6m (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR bwlch)

Dominance:  2.18% (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR bwlch)

 

 

For further details please consult the Trimble Survey Spreadsheet