Foel Caerynwch (SH 772 179)
There has been a Significant Name Change to a hill
that is listed in the Y Trichant,
with the summit height, drop and status of the hill being confirmed by a
Trimble GeoXH survey which took place on the 26th February 2018.
The criteria
for the list that this name change applies to are:
Y Trichant – All Welsh hills at and above 300m and below 400m
in height that have 30m minimum drop, with an accompanying sub category
entitled the Sub-Trichant consisting
of all Welsh hills at and above 300m and below 400m in height that have 20m or
more and below 30m of drop. The list is
authored by Myrddyn Phillips and the Introduction to the list and the re-naming
and publication history was published on Mapping Mountains on the 13th
May 2017.
The hill is adjoined to the Aran range
of hills which are situated in the south-western part of North Wales (Region A,
Sub-Region A3), and is positioned between the A 494 road to its north and the A
470 road to its south, with the B 4416 road to its north-west, and has the
small community of Brithdir to its north and the town of Dolgellau to its west.
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| Foel Caerynwch (SH 772 179) |
The hill appeared in the 300m P30 list on Geoff
Crowder’s v-g.me website under the name of Y
Foel, this is the name given it on Ordnance Survey maps of the day as well
as on current maps.
Y Foel
|
343m
|
124
|
23
|
Even an established map name is worth
investigating either by asking local people or by examining historical
documents, through this form of research the established map name can be validated,
however it can also be queried and in some cases the name can be expanded from
its shortened map version.
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| Extract from the Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Explorer map |
When visiting this hill I met Dewi Thomas; a
contractor, who along with a colleague was rebuilding one of many stone walls
in the area. After introducing myself
and explaining my interest in upland place-names I pointed toward this hill and
asked about its name, Dewi gave the name of Foel Caerynwch for the hill and
kindly spelt the name for me. Although
not a farmer, Dewi is local to the area and lives in Dolgellau.
 |
| Dewi Thomas |
After visiting and surveying the summit of this
hill I met Marion and Terry Ogden who were outside their house of Tyn-llidiart. During our conversation Marion named the hill
as Foel Caerynwch and asked if I had seen the wooden marker post beside the
path that I had just descended, I had, but had not examined it; Marion said I
should as the name of the hill appears on it.
 |
| Terry and Marion Ogden |
I backtracked and found an information board
erected by the Snowdonia National Park, a finger post and the wooden marker post,
with the last two no doubt also having been put in place by the National Park,
and all naming the hill as Foel Caerynwch.
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| Snowdonia National Park information board |
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| Finger post |
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| Marker post |
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 58 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 Caerynwch, with the details on the Tithe map appearing in the county named as Merioneth and in
the parish of Dolgelley [sic].
 |
| Extract from the apportionments |
Therefore, the name this hill is now listed by in
the Y Trichant is Foel Caerynwch, and
this was derived from local enquiry, substantiated by the Snowdonia National
Park, with the bounded land where the summit of the hill is situated confirmed
by the Tithe map.
The full details for the hill are:
Group: Aran
Name: Foel Caerynwch
Previously Listed Name:
Y Foel
Summit Height: 342.9m
(converted to OSGM15)
OS 1:50,000 map: 124
Summit Grid Reference:
SH 77261 17997
Drop: 38.9m (converted
to OSGM15)
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| The Trimble GeoXH 6000 gathering data at the summit of Foel Caerynwch |
