Mapping Mountains – Significant Name Changes – 200m Twmpau

 

Middle Field (SJ 282 533) 

There has been a Significant Name Change to a hill that is listed in the 200m Twmpau, with the summit height, bwlch height and their locations, the drop and status of the hill derived from detail on contemporary maps produced from Ordnance Survey data and a Trimble GeoXH 6000 survey conducted by Myrddyn Phillips. 

Middle Field (SJ 282 533)

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

200m Twmpau - Welsh hills at or above 200m and below 300m in height with 30m minimum drop, with an accompanying sub list entitled the 200m Sub-Twmpau with the criteria for this sub category being all Welsh hills at or above 200m and below 300m 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 200m Twmpau by Myrddyn Phillips

The hill is adjoined to the Moel y Gamelin group of hills, which are situated in the north-eastern part of North Wales (Region A, Sub-Region A2), and it is positioned with the B5102 road to its north-west and minor roads to its north-east, south and east, and has the town of Wrecsam (Wrexham) towards the south-east. 

The hill appeared in the original Welsh 200m P30 list on Geoff Crowder’s v-g.me website, under the transposed and invented name of Mount Sion Hill, with an accompanying note stating; Name from conurbation to the North-East.

Mount Sion Hill

280m

SJ282533

117

256

Name from conurbation to the North-East

 

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 what I thought to be an urban area and add the word Hill to it.  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 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 236 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 Middle Field in the apportionments, with the details on the Tithe map appearing in the parish of Brymbo and in the county named as Denbigh. 

Extract from the apportionments

Therefore, the name this hill is now listed by in the 200m Twmpau is Middle Field, and this was derived from the Tithe map. 

 

The full details for the hill are:

Group:  Moel y Gamelin

Name:  Middle Field

Previously Listed Name:  Mount Sion Hill   

OS 1:50,000 map:  117

Summit Height:  279.7m (converted to OSGM15, Trimble GeoXH 6000) 

Summit Grid Reference:  SJ 28217 53386 (Trimble GeoXH 6000) 

Bwlch Height:  c 243m (interpolation) 

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SJ 27795 53224 (interpolation) 

Drop:  c 37m (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and interpolated bwlch)

 

Myrddyn Phillips (December 2021)

 

 

Mapping Mountains – Trimble Surveys – Moel y Gamelin

 

20.09.21  Middle Field (SJ 282 533) 

The upper field leading to the summit of Middle Field (SJ 282 533)

The name this hill is now listed by has come from the Tithe and it was the last of four hills visited during a beautiful morning and early afternoon when the sun shone and life took on a very relaxed feel.  The three preceding hills were relatively easy affairs to reach their summits and this hill proved likewise, with my greatest difficulty navigating through a series of roads connecting housing estates that did not appear on my map.  However, I only stopped once to ask onward directions and soon afterward found myself at my designated parking spot. 

I approached the hill from the south having parked close to double gates on a narrow lane, leaving sufficient space for vehicles to pass and to use the gates if needed.  A dried dirt track led from the double gates toward a small quarried area.  A herd of cows lazily looked my way from the adjacent field, with one mother next to a small calf paying particular attention to the rogue hill walker.  I decided to take a wide berth. 

Leaving the dirt track I walked across a rutted section of field toward the boundary fence that would give access to the upper field where the summit of this hill was situated.  Walking toward the fence I aimed for a gap between stunted trees in favour of using a gate which was positioned close to where a number of the cows were still looking my way.  Once over the fence I walked through long grass toward the summit. 

Gathering data at the first of two positions on the summit of Middle Field

Prior to visiting this hill I read online logs on the Hill Bagging website giving two potential positions for the high point, and when I reached the summit area I proceeded to assess the ground from a number of directions and decided to take two data sets, one from the northerly part of the upper hill and the other further south.  Happy with my chosen Trimble set-up positions I activated the equipment to gather data. 

Gathering data at the second of two positions on the summit of Middle Field

Whilst on the summit all was quiet, little stirred, the cows had munched their way over the prow of the adjacent field, the sun shone, a slight breeze whisked across the hill and I was more than happy with my four hill foray to this part of Wales. 

Once the second data set was gathered and stored I headed down the field and re-joined the dried dirt track back to my car.  Before leaving I changed and enjoyed the quiet surrounds before re-joining the busy A483 road back toward Oswestry and then homeward bound to Welshpool. 

 

Survey Result: 

 

Middle Field (significant name change)

Summit Height:  279.7m (converted to OSGM15, Trimble GeoXH 6000)

Summit Grid Reference:  SJ 28217 53386 (Trimble GeoXH 6000)

Bwlch Height:  c 243m (interpolation)

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SJ 27795 53224 (interpolation)

Drop:  c 37m (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and interpolated bwlch)

Dominance:  13.12% (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and interpolated bwlch)

 

 

For further details please consult the Trimble Survey Spreadsheet