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These
are notes for a book on place names which was accepted for publication but will
now probably appear in another format. Some sections are complete, others are
very incomplete. But we'll get round to tidying it up eventually.
SECTION ONE 0964e
Previous Page (Index)
SECTION TWO 0815e
SECTION THREE This page
SECTION FOUR 0966e
Place-names Dictionary - Welsh
place names and place-name elements explained 0817e
CONTENTS
OF THIS PAGE:
11 the definite article
and a feminine noun (y bont = the bridge)
12 the definite article, a feminine noun and an
adjective (y bont fawr = the big bridge)
13 adjectives with feminine forms (gwÿn = white; y bont wen = the white bridge)
14 'noun-adjectives' (y bont faen = the stone bridge)
15 the plural of Welsh nouns (y caerau)
16 adjectives with special plural forms (y coed duon = the black trees)
17 Welsh personal names
18 Adjectives after personal names - Ifan Ddu
19 Showing connection or ownership with people's names - Cae Caradog
20 Showing connection or ownership with a definite noun - Pen-y-brÿn
21 Numerals
22 Preposition 'ar'
23 the nasal mutation
24 the spirant mutation
25 llan = enclosure; church
26 chapels
11 the definite article and a feminine noun (y bont = the bridge)
If we put the definite article (y = the)
before a feminine word beginning with certain consonants (written c p t g b d m) that consonant changes to another consonant
It is as if in English we had to say 'the vridge' instead of 'the
bridge', or 'the gliff' instead of 'the cliff'.
This is our first look at the soft mutation
(Remember
- there are three mutation systems in Welsh - the soft
mutation, the nasal mutation and the spirant mutation, but these last two are fairly
restricted. The soft mutation is EVERYWHERE!)
In the
soft mutation system, the following changes occur in the spelling:
c becomes g
p becomes b
t becomes d
g becomes ZERO (in
early Welsh gh, but in modern Welsh this sound has disappeared)
b becomes f (always pronounced as 'v'!)
d becomes dd (pronounced as 'th' in English 'this, that and the
other')
m becomes f (always pronounced as 'v'!)
ll becomes l
rh becomes r
The other consonants are not
'mutable' - for example, ff or s cannot change. And there is no change to words
beginning with a vowel (a e i o
u w y / ÿ).
|
carreg, |
y garreg |
= stone, the stone |
|
pont, |
y bont |
= bridge, the bridge |
|
tre, |
y dre |
= town, the town |
|
gwaun, |
y *waun |
=
the moor; the moorland pasture (at one time it would have been "y ghwaun") |
|
ban, |
y fan |
= peak, the peak |
|
derwen, |
y dderwen |
= oak
tree, the oak tree |
|
melin, |
y felin |
= mill, the mill |
In
this particular case (that is, the definite article before a feminine noun),
there is no mutation of ll and rh. So we have
|
rhÿd, |
y rhÿd |
=
ford, the ford (not y rÿd) |
|
llan, |
y llan |
=
parish church, the parish church (not y lan) |
Consonants not in the above list do not change, of course
|
siop |
y
siop |
=
shop, the shop |
|
ffynnon |
y
ffynnon |
=
well, the well |
And before vowels there is no change
|
afon |
yr
afon |
=
river, the river |
Irish
too has mutation (although the changes don't correspond exactly to the
Welsh system). There is though a similar change of (c/g), (p/b), (t/d) after the
preposition 'i' which means 'in'. However, the original initial consonant is
kept, but the mutated consonant is put before it.
Trá Lí, i dTrá Lí (in
Corcaigh, i gCorcaigh (in
Port Láirge, i bPort Láirge (in
There is no such helpful guide in the Welsh spelling to tell us that a form is
mutated. (The Irish system applied to Welsh would give us 'y gcarreg', 'y
bpont', y dtre', etc)
EXERCISE
What is the original form of these words without the definite article? (some
have soft mutation, others don’t - we have not marked the soft mutations)
(they are all feminine)
1 yr ynÿs = (a) the island (in the sea, a lake or a river); (b) meadow (a
riverside meadow isolated in times of flooding) [ø-nis]
2 y ffos = the ditch [foos]
3 y ddôl = the meadow [dhool]
4 y gaer = the fort
5 yr ardd = the garden
6 y fron = the (round) hill [vron]
7 yr erw = the acre, the field [e-ru]
8 yr onnen = the ash tree [o-nen]
9 yr hendre = the farmstead
10 y weirglodd = the hay meadow [weir-glodh]
11 y groes = the cross [grois]
12 y foel = bare hill [voil]
ANSWERS: 1 ynÿs 2 ffos 3 dôl 4 caer 5 gardd 6 bron 7 erw 8 onnen 9 hendre 10
gweirglodd 11 croes 12 moel
Note that f- (always pronounced 'v') can be a mutation of either b- or m-
y fron (bron) - the hill, the breast
y foel (moel) - the (bare) hill
more feminine nouns:
gwaun [gwain] - moor, moorland meadow
croes [krois] - cross
heol [he ol] - street. Colloquially it is "hewl" [heul]
dôl [dool] - riveside meadow
bron [bron] - woman's breast; round hill
ffos [foos] - ditch
caer [kair] - stronghold - usually Roman, sometimes a British hillfort
erw [e ru] - acre
nant [nant] - stream
gweirglodd [gweir glodh] - hay meadow
rhos [hroos] = high ground; (by sea) headland, (inland) hill, moor
craig [kraig] rock, crag
eglwÿs [e-gluis] church
lôn [loon] lane
heol [heul] street, road
llain [hlain] strip of land
hafod [ha-vod] summer pasture farmhouse
ffridd or ffrith [friidh, friith] upland pasture
carn [karn] pile of stones (indicating the site of a grave
or serving as a landmark or waymarker)
copa [ko pa] hilltop
Usually, if it is a natural feature, the definite article is included in the
name
Y Fan = the mountain peak, the hill top
Y Graig = the rock
If it is a habitative name, the article is dropped on maps and signs
Fan = (the) mountain peak, hill top, (the) hill top
Graig = (the) rock
But in practice there are exceptions
habitative names (villages, and a town)
Waun SH 8504 1km NE of Comins-coch
Waun SH 2319 1km E of Llansanffráid ym Mechain
Y Waun SJ 2937town 8km north of Croesoswallt / Oswestry. English name:
Chirk
Rhÿd SH 6341 3km NW of Maentwrog
Rhos SJ 1261 4km NW of Rhuthun
Rhos SN 3735 7km SW of Llandysul
Rhos SN 7303 2km SE of Pontardawe
Rhos SJ 2735 2km NE of Selatÿn
Y Rhws ST 0006 5km W of Barri (the English living in this area pronunced
this as [roos]. Around 1500, long 'o' in English changed to long 'u' - as in
the words moon, pool, etc. The English form was now [ruus]. The English form of
the name was Cymricised as Y Rhws, even though it is in fact a Welsh name)
Y Fan ST 1686 in Caerffili
Y Fan SN 9587 5km N of Llanidloes
Y Groes SJ 0064 hamlet near Dinbÿch
Y Ffrith SJ 2855 hamlet in Sir y Fflint
Y Garn (village, Sir Benfro)
Y Gopa (Llandeilo Tal-y-bont)
Garreg (village, Llanfrothen)
Fron (village by Brymbo)
Y Rhiw (Aberdaron)
Graig SJ 0872 hamlet in Sir y Fflint; hamlet in Gwynedd
As we have seen with the masculine nouns, in the case
of street names, the article is usually included. Examples are Yr Allt (=
the wood) in Llantrisant, Y Berllan (= the orchard, < perllan) in
Llangyfelach and in Castell-nedd, in Abertawe and in Ystradgynlais, Yr Efail
(= the smithy, the forge, < gefail) in Tregolwin, Y Garn (= the
cairn, < crn) in Pengam, Y Gefnen (= the little ridge, < cefnen)
in Abertawe, Y Gilfach (= the recess, < cilfach) in Ystalyfera, Y
Gilwern (= secluded marsh, < cilwern) in Ystalyfera, Y Goedlan (=
the avenue, the plantation, < coedlan) in Cwmllynfell, Y Goedwig (=
the wood, < coedwig) in Caer-dÿdd, Y Gorlan (= the sheepfold, < corlan)
in Abertawe, Y Groes (= the cross, < croes) in Brÿn-coch and in
Caer-dÿdd, Yr Hafan (= the haven) in Pontycymer, Yr Hafod (= the
summer pasture, the cabin on the summer pasture) in Llangyfelach, Yr Hendre (=
the winter home) in Pont-tÿ-pridd, Y Lan (= the slope) in Pen-coed, Y
Llest(= the hut (on a summer pasture) - a south-eastern form of the more
usual "lluest") in Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr, Y Waun (= the hill
pasture, < gwaun) in Ynÿs-y-bwl, Y Wern (= the alder marsh, <
gwern) in Y Betws and in Llangyfelach, Yr Ynÿs (= the river meadow) in Y
Pil
A couple of words have different genders in different
areas.
For example, llÿn = lake is generally masculine in the standard language
and in the north; in the south it is feminine. Tafarn [ta varn]=
tavern is generally feminine in the standard language and the north; in the
south it is masculine.
Some words have changed gender in modern Welsh:
FEMININE > MASCULINE
In earlier Welsh, llÿs [lhiis] = court was feminine (and in place names
this is generally the case). In modern Welsh, it is masculine.
Some have gone in the other direction:
MASCULINE > FEMININE
Dinas = hillfort is masculine in place names; in modern Welsh, the word
has come to mean 'city', and is feminine, probably in imitation of tref / tre 'town'
which is feminine.
Nant = stream is nowadays
feminine; in place names it is often masculine (originally it meant 'valley,
ravine')
·····
12 the definite article, a feminine
noun and an adjective (y bont fawr = the big bridge)
We
have seen that with masculine nouns it is sufficient to add an adjective after
the noun -
y cwm du = the black valley
With a feminine noun we must mutate the initial consonant after the definite
article 'y'
melin > y felin
If we add an adjective after a feminine noun, we must mutate the first
consonant. This happens to all nine consonants in the system (c p t g b d m ll
rh)
It is as if in English we had to say 'the reen voor' instead of 'the green
moor', or 'the vlack gliff' instead of 'the black cliff'.
And here are some adjectives along with the soft mutated form
c: coch / goch [kookh / gookh] red
p: poeth / boeth [poith / boith] hot; (in place names: burnt)
t: tew / dew [teu / deu] fat; thick
g: glas / las [glaas / laas] blue; (vegetation) green
b: bach / fach [baakh, vaakh] small
d: du / ddu [dii / dhii] black
m: mawr / fawr [maur / vaur] big
ll: llwÿd / lwÿd [hluid / luid] grey
rh: rhudd / rudd [hriidh / riidh] red; rusty red, tawny, brown
Other consonants are not mutable
hir = long, sÿch = dry, etc
WHAT ARE THE MUTATIONS:
01 y + gwaun + glas (the green moorfield)
02 y + croes + gwen (the white cross)
03 yr + afon + du (the black river)
04 y + rhÿd + coch (the red ford)
05 y + llain + coch (the red strip of land)
06 yr + heol + glas (the green road)
07 y + dôl + coch (the red meadow)
08 yr + onnen + bach (the little ash tree)
09 y + gwaun + bach (the little moorfield)
10 y + bron + coch (the red hill)
ANSWERS:
01 y waun las
02 y groes wen
03 yr afon ddu
04 y rhÿd goch
05 y llain goch
06 yr heol las
07 y ddôl goch
08 yr onnen fach
09 y waun fach
10 y fron goch
What do these names mean?
1 y bont goch
2 yr heol fawr
3 yr eglwÿs lwÿd
4 y graig ddu
5 y waun rudd
6 y lôn las
7 yr eglwÿs fach
8 y felin fach
9 y fron goch
10 yr afon lwÿd
1 the red bridge
2 the big road / the highway / the high street (in the South, at least, the
main road in a village is 'heol fawr')
3 the grey church
4 the black crag / rock
5 the red bog
6 the green lane
7 the little church (Note that in the north-west, 'bach' is generally unmutated
after feminine nouns:
yr eglwÿs fach > yr eglwÿs bach = the little church
y lein fach > y lein bach = the little (railway) line, the narrow-gauge
railway)
8 the little mill
9 the red hill
10 the grey river
As we have seen with the masculine nouns, on maps
names with the form (definite article + noun + adjective) are generally written
without the definite article.
Bontnewÿdd = y bont newÿdd (pont +
newÿdd), the new bridge, Dre-fach = y dref fach (tref + bach), the
little trêv or farm, Waun-fawr = y waun fawr (gwaun + mawr), the big
upland pasture.
This is the case too with street names of this type -
Hafod-las = yr hafod las, the green summer pasture (in Pen-coed); Waun-fach
= y waun fach (gwaun + bach), the little upland pasture, in Caer-dÿdd; Fron-deg=
y fron deg (bron + deg), the fair hill (in Tredegar).
13 adjectives with feminine forms (gwÿn =
white; y bont wen = the white bridge)
Some
adjectives have feminine forms.
1) The vowel 'ÿ' becomes 'e'
gwÿn (masculine): gwen (feminine) / wen (soft-mutated form) [gwin,
gwen, wen] = white,
melÿn : melen / felen [me-lin, me-len, ve-len]
= yellow
gwÿrdd: gwerdd / werdd [gwirdh, gwerdh, werdh] = green
bychan : bechan / fechan [bø-khan, be-khan, ve-khan]
= small
2) The vowel 'w' becomes 'o'
crwn : cron / gron [krun, kron, gron] = round,
dwfn : dofn / ddofn [du-vun, do-von, dho-von]
= deep
(in the north, 'dyfn' [døvn] is used colloquially instead of dwfn)
llwm : llom / lom [hlum, hlom, lom] = bleak, exposed
3) An unusual pair is
brith : braith / fraith [briith, braith, vraith] = speckled
In the modern spoken language these feminine forms are no longer used
spontaneously (bord wÿn = a white table) but they survive in fixed expressions
(torth wen = white loaf).
In place names, the commonest of these are 'wen' and 'fechan', followed by
'fraith' and 'felen'. The others are found only very occasionally
WHAT DO THESE NAMES MEAN?
01 yr hafod lom
02 y groes wen
03 yr afon fechan
04 yr eglwÿs gron
05 y ffynnon ddofn
06 yr hafod wen
07 y graig wen
08 y rhÿd felen
09 y llÿn fraith
10 y felin wen
11 yr ynÿs werdd
ANSWERS
01 yr hafod lom = the bleak summer dwelling
02 y groes wen = the white (whitewashed) cross
03 yr afon fechan = the little stream
04 yr eglwÿs gron = the round church
05 y ffynnon wen = the deep well
06 yr hafod wen = the white (whitewashed) summer dwelling
07 y graig wen = the white crag
08 y rhÿd felen = the yellow ford
09 y llÿn fraith = the speckled river-pool
10 y felin wen = the white (whitewashed) mill
11 the green island. Yr Ynÿs Werdd is a name sometimes used for
Why use 'gwÿrdd / gwerdd' if vegetation in Welsh and the other Celtic languages
is usually 'glas'? Probably the influence of the word for
AND THESE?
01 y felin wen 02 y bont fawr 03 y felin fach
04 y ddôl wen 05 y rhÿd felen 06 yr hafod goch
07 y bont ddu 08 yr afon lwÿd 09 y ddôl fach
10 y waun fawr
01 the white mill 2 the big bridge 3 the little mill 4 the whire meadow 5 the
yellow ford 6 the red summer-house 7 the black bridge 8 the grey river 9 the
little meadow 10 the big moorfield
14 'noun-adjectives' (y bont faen = the stone bridge)
Nouns can be used as 'noun-adjectives', as in English.
'Stone' can be used to describe a bridge 'stone bridge'.
The same happens in Welsh
Pont = bridge, maen = stone, y bont faen = (a) bridge (of) stone, (a)
stone bridge
llwÿn = wood, grove, onn = ash trees, y llwÿn onn - a wood = (a) wood
(of) elm, (an) elm wood
cae = field, gwenith = wheat, y cae gwenith = (a) field (of) wheat, (a)
wheat field
Note that if the main noun is masculine, there is no soft mutation -
llwÿn bedw = grove (of) birches > birch grove
to maen = stone roof, slate roof
tÿ pridd = cob cottage, house made of blocks of clay and chopped straw
('clom' in Welsh)
And if it is feminine, there is soft mutation! - heol
gerrig - road (of) stones > stony road
What do these names mean?
1 yr heol gerrig
2 y llwÿn gwern
3 y bont gerrig
4 y bont frics
5 y llwÿn derw
6 yr heol don
7 y llwÿbr mul
8 y wal frics
9 y cae haidd
10 y groes faen
ANSWERS
1 the road (of) stones, the stone road 2 the wood (of) alders, the alder wood 3
the bridge (of) stones, the stone bridge 4 the bridge (of) bricks, the brick
bridge 5 the wood (of) oaks, the oak wood 6 the road (of ) greensward, green
road (a track with a turf surface) 7 the path (of) the mule, the mule path
(there is a path of this name on the Wÿddfa mountain (Snowdon) / the wall (of)
bricks / the brick wall 9 the field (of) barley, the barley field 10 the cross
(of) stone, the stone cross
15 the plural of Welsh nouns (y caerau)
Plural forms in Welsh.
The formation of the plural of nouns in Welsh is a bit more complicated than in
English. Although English had different ways of forming the plural in the past
(and some often survive in the irregular plurals like 'mice, geese, teeth,
children, men') the plural now of course is generally formed by adding a 'z'
sound (-s, -es) (woods, potatoes) or an 's' sound (books).
In Welsh there are some 14 plural endings, and all of them are likely to be
found in place names. The most usual one is -au (with the variant -iau).
Over most of the country these are pronounced as [e], [ye]. The literary
pronunciation - such as a newsreader might use on the radio or television - is
[ai] and [yai]. (In the north-western corner of
Dolgellau -
1 general colloquial pronunciation - [dol GE lhe]
2 standard pronunciation - [dol GE lhai]
In fact, in north-west Wales (and in south-east Wales too), the ending -au is
pronounced [a] instead of [e].
As Dolgellau is just inside this north-western '-a' zone locally it is [dol GE
lha].
(What does Dolgellau name mean? The word 'cell' [kelh], like the English word
cell, is from Latin 'cella'. In Latin it is related to the verb 'celâre' = to
hide, and meant a room or storeroom, or a small apartment. In Church Latin it
came to mean a monk's cell in as monastery, or a hermit's cell, a structure in
an isolated spot. In modern Welsh it is a storeroom for food (in
Dôl = meadow, cellau with soft mutation (because it is used here
as a noun-adjective) = stalls
Others plural endings are:
-ed (merch, merched = girl)
-edd (mign, mignedd = bogs)
-i (saer, seiri = carpenters)
-iaid (usually after people's occupations; bugail, bugeiliaid =
shepherds)
-ion (ebol, ebolion = foals)
-oedd (cell, celloedd = cells)
-on (Sais, Saeson = English people, cariadon = lovers))
-od (cath, cathod = cats) (usually after animal and bird names)
-s (begwn, begwns = beacons) (with words from English)
-ÿdd (moel, moelÿdd = hills)
-ÿs (with words from English) (bocs, bocsÿs = box)
The simple addition of an ending is not the only way
to form the plural, though!
There are seven other ways in which a plural formed
1) by an internal vowel change (as in some English words - goose / geese, man /
men, mouse / mice)
maen = stone, old plural main = stone; carreg = stone, cerrig = stones
2) by adding an ending, along with a vowel change (as
in English Brother, brethren)
cae [kai] = field, caeau [kei-e] fields; llÿn, llynnoedd or llynnau
3) by dropping a singulative ending - derwen = oak
tree, derw = oak trees
4) by dropping a singulative ending, combined with a
vowel change; draenen drain
5) by dropping an ending and adding another (as in
English bacterium, bacteria)
6) by dropping an ending, adding another; with
internal vowel change
maen = stone, meini = stones
cawr = giant, cewri = giants
7) Irregular plural (ty = house, tai = houses; ci =
dog, cwn = dogs)
Double plurals
A word might have two (or more!) possible plural forms
1) the two may be interchangeable forms without any
observable reason
Dôl = meadow / dolÿdd, dolau
2) A plural form might be different in different parts
of the country.
Brÿn = hill; plural bryniau - but in the south-east, it is brynna
3) A plural form may be found in colloquial Welsh
different to literary Welsh. For various reasons the literary language uses
another
Mynÿdd = mountain, upland: mynyddoedd is a literary form; mynyddau
(i.e. mynydde or mynydda) is a spoken form
The uplands of Morgannwg (Glamorgan) were called the Mynydda (the south-eastern
pronunciation of mynyddau). In this case, the -au ending is the historical
ending. Literary -oedd comes from the influence of other words in -oedd.
Castell = castle. The literary form is cestÿll; in some place
names castellau is found - an innovation, although castelli is
the more usual spoken form
4) The plural form in modern Welsh might be different from the form found in
place names, which have an obsolete form
maen = stone: main (obsolete form found in place names), meini
(modern form, also found in place names)
Plural forms with an 'h'
Some words which had nt in British have an nh
in Welsh which reappears in plurals in the syllable before last
ffynnon = well, spring, fountain (from Latin fontana) ffynhonnau = springs
brenin = king > brenhinoedd =
kings (also in: brenhines = queen)
Plural forms of feminine words
There is no mutation after 'y' for feminine nouns in the plural:
pont, y bont (bridge, the bridge)
pontÿdd, y pontÿdd (bridges, the bridges)
BUT:
Plurals ending in the diminutive suffix -os are like feminine singular
nouns
grugos > y rugos = small clumps of heather
There is a village near Aber-dâr which is called Y
Rugos (though it was changed to the meaningless 'Rhigos' probably in the 1800s)
The dual plural
And there are survivals of a dual plural, which also has soft mutation.
The best-known example is the name of a triple-peaked mountain by the
Yr Eifl [ør ei-vøl] ('the two forks') from geifl, plural of gafl = fork;
crotch.
(This name has an English form 'the Rivals' because of the resemblance in
pronunciation, and some tale that they challenged 'Yr Wÿddfa' (height 1085m /
3560ft) for the title of highest mountain (the highest peak of these is 564m /
1849ft)
What is the singular form of these words?
01 caerau
02 creigiau
03 blaenau
04 ffynhonnau
05 rugos
06 cymoedd
07 cymau
08 llynnau
09 dolÿdd
10 derw
ANSWERS: 1 caer (= fort) 2 craig (= crag, rock) 3 blaen (= top) 4 ffynnon (=
well) 5 grug (= heather) 6 cwm (= valley) 7 cwm (= valley) 8 llÿn (= lake) 9
dôl (= meadow) 10 derwen (= oak tree)
16 adjectives with special plural forms (y coed
duon = the black trees)
Most adjectives have the same form for both the singular and the
plural -
tÿ bach [tii baakh] = little house, tai bach [tai baakh] = little
houses.
But some adjectives have plural forms. These are made
in the following ways:
1 vowel change
llydan > llydain [lhø dan, lhø den] wide
2 addition of the termination -ion; the root has a shorter vowel or a vowel
change
coch > cochion [kookh, kokh yon] red
And -on where the sound doesn't permit -ion
du > (*duion) > duon [dii, di on] black
Today they are little used in the spoken language, at
least not spontaneously in modern spoken Welsh; the singular form is used
instead.
tÿ du = black house, tai du = black houses
In the spoken language, they tend to form part of
fixed expressions (mwÿar duon = blackberries).
In formal written Welsh it is usually regarded as more
correct to use the plural forms.
They are frequent in place names because the names date from a time when use of
the plural form of the adjective was usual.
Here are some more of the commoner ones (they are
mainly colour adjectives)
gwÿn, gwynion [gwin, gwøn-yon]
coch, cochion [kookh, kokh-yon]
glas, gleision [glas, glei-shon]
llwÿd, llwÿdion [lhuid, lhuid-yon]
hir, hirion [hiir, hir-yon]
The word coed is either 'trees' or 'wood'.
Thus we find the town of
In
What do these names mean?
01 Caeau Duon
92 Perthigwynion
03 Cerrig Llwÿdion
04 Perthigleision
05 Bryniau Gwynion
06 Coed Llwÿdion
07 Cerrig Gleision
08 Coed-duon
ANSWERS: 01 black fields 02 white hedges 03 grey stones 04 green hedges 05
white hills (limestone hills) 06 grey trees 07 blue stones 08 black trees /
black wood (the name of a town in South-east Wales, Blackwood in English. The
name has a hyphen because if it were written Coedduon the double 'd' would be
taken to be the letter 'dd' (Y Ddôl, etc)
17 Welsh personal names
In general, they derive from four main sources
1) Common Celtic on the continent, or British on the island
2) Latin - either the Latin of Roman Britain (via British and into Welsh), or
the Latin of the Roman Church (into early Welsh)
3) English - Old English, Middle English or modern English
4) Norman (Anglo-French)
1) Celtic
Many British names have had a continued existence until the present day. Some
are fossilised in place names, and are no longer used. Others have been
readopted from place names, after being unused as forenames for centuries.
Among names which have survived are
Morgan
Llywelÿn
Hywel
Gruffudd
Iorwerth
Rhÿs
Lleision
Rhydderch
Lleucu (f)
Iorwerth (south-east Iorath)
(Others of Common Celtic or British origin have been reintroduced since the
1800s -
Rhydderch, Morfudd, Gwladus, Cynog, Tudur, etc)
2) Latin
Latin of Roman Britain (via British and into Welsh)
Arthur
Church names
Sawÿl
Edern
Enrÿs
Dewi
Deiniol
Meurig
Padarn
Andreas
Mihangel
Ieuan / Ifan
3)
English names
Elystan
Oswallt
4)
Norman
Siôn
Gwilÿm
Huw
Lewis
Henri
Harri
Rhobert
Rhosier
Als (f)
Mallt (f)
18 Adjectives after personal names - Ifan Ddu
Descriptive words after personal names take the soft mutation.
Although this no longer happens in modern Welsh, traces of this old pattern
remain in Welsh surnames and place names
hir [hiir] - 1 long 2 (of a person) tall
bychan [bø-khan] 1 small 2 (person) small, or junior, younger
du [dii] 1 black 2 black-haired
coch [kookh] 1 red 2 red-haired
llwÿd [lhuid] 1 grey 2 brown-haired
gwÿn [gwin] 1 white 2 fair-haired
cethin [ke-thin] 1 dark 2 swarthy, having dark features
moel [moil] bald
pengrÿch [pen-grikh] curly-haired
cam [kam] cross-eyed; hunchbacked
gwÿllt [gwilht] wild
These epithets were in some cases anglicised and used as permanent surnames
Dafÿdd Hir > David Heere
Dafÿdd Bach > David Baugh
Dafÿdd Gwÿn > David Gwynne
Dafÿdd *Fychan > David Vaughan
Dafÿdd *Ddu > David Dee
Dafÿdd *Goch > David Gough
Dafÿdd *Wÿn > David Wynne
Dafÿdd *Gethin > David Gethin
Dafÿdd *Gam > David Gam / Games
Dafÿdd *Lwÿd > David Lloyd
Dafÿdd *Wÿllt > David Gwilt
Dafÿdd *Foel > David Voyle
Dafÿdd *Bengrÿch > David Bengry
(some epithets were used unmutated where we would have expected a mutation -
reulting in Gwilt, Lloyd, Gwynne)
In modern Welsh, in general there is no longer a mutation (though in some areas
or with some words it may still be used)
Twm Bach
Ianto Mawr
What do these names mean?
1 Einion Ddu 2 Hywel Fychan 3 Morgan Gam 4 Caradog Wÿn 5 Iago Goch
Answers
1 black-(haired) Einion 2 Hywel the younger 3 Crosseyed / hunchbacked Morgan 4
fair-haired Caradog 5 red-haired Iago (= James)
In south-east
19 Showing connection or ownership with people's
names - Cae Caradog
As we have seen, ownership or connection is indicated by the pattern
object owned + name of owner
In other words, the name is simply placed after the
noun
Morgan's house > Tÿ Morgan
In older Welsh, after a feminine noun there would be
soft mutation of the initial of a proper name (person's name, river name, etc)
after it
llan + Tudno > Llandudno (the) church (of) Tudno
hendre + Morgan > Hendreforgan (the) farmstead (of) Morgan
ynys + Morgan > Ynysforgan (the) meadow (of) Morgan
pont Gwilym > pont Wilÿm (the) bridge (of) Gwilÿm
This mutation in this context doesn't happen any more in colloquial Welsh.
Recent names of this type either respect the old rule
(TRE + LLEW = TRE-LEW,
or ignore it
(TRE + CYNON = TRECYNON, instead of TREGYNON) ("housing project of the river
Cynon")
(TRE + TELYNOG = TRETELYNOG, instead of TREDELYNOG) ("housing project of
the poet Telynog")
There are also examples of river names with mutation - these are survivals from
when it was usual to have a mutated form after 'afon'.
Dyfi > Afon Ddyfi, alongside Afon Dyfi;
Conwÿ > Afon Gonwÿ alongside Afon Conwÿ
The mutation remains if it is an adjective - Afon Lwÿd = (the) grey river, Afon
Goch= (the) red river
There used to be a mutation after 'ffordd' and 'heol'
meaning 'the road leading to'. Some examples are found here and there -
Ffordd Fangor = the road to
Heol Ferthÿr = the road to Merthÿrtudful
In older Welsh, there was a mutation even after a masculine noun. There are
some instances of this in place names
TY + DEWI > TYDDEWI ("the monastery of Saint David")
CAE + MADOG > CAE FADOG ("Madog's field")
But in general there is no mutation
Cae + Caradog = Cae Caradog ("Caradog's field")
20 Showing connection or ownership with a definite
noun - Pen-y-brÿn
We have seen that to express connection between an object (a house,
a field, etc) in Welsh, and a particular person, we merely place the name after
the object.
Tÿ Morgan = Morgan's house
This formula is also used to indicate the relationship between two objects
INDEFINITE: a village green is
ton pentre = (a) green (of) (a) village
DEFINITE: the village green is
ton y pentre = (the) green (of) (the) village)
In English there are two definite articles in phrases of this type - the
green of the village, the green belonging to the village
In Welsh only one is possible - it would be incorrect to say
*y ton y pentre
This
type of place name is extremely frequent.
Here are some examples with 'pen' and 'tÿn'.
'Pen' is literally 'head' but it is also 'end',
'summit or top of a hill or mountain'
Pen-y-bont - (the house at) (the) end (of) the bridge, the house on the
riverbank next to the bridge
Pen-y-coed - (the house at) (the) top / end / edge (of) the wood
Pen-y-brÿn - (the house at) (the) top (of) the hill, hill top
'Tÿn' is a contraction of 'tyddÿn' = smallholding.
Tÿn-y-coed - (the) smallholding (of ) the wood; the smallholding by the
wood, next to the wood
Sometimes it is written tÿ'n, but this is
considered less correct
Tÿ'n-y-coed
The form tÿ'n sometimes explained mistakenly as
a contraction of y tÿ yn = the house in...
y tÿ yn y coed - the house in the wood (as a smallholding, it is probably not
'in the wood')
though in modern house names it may be used
deliberatley for 'the house in'
Tÿ'n-y-coed - the house in the wood!
TRANSLATE THESE NAMES INTO ENGLISH
1 Tÿn-y-cae
2 Pen-y-graig
3 Pen-yr-heol
4 Tÿn-y-rhos
5 Tÿnyllechwedd
6 Penyfynwent
7 Pen-y-lôn
8 Tÿn-y-maes
9 Tÿn-y-wern
10 Penymynÿdd
ANSWERS: 1 Tÿn-y-cae = smallholding by the field 2 Pen-y-graig = (house) on the
crag 3
Pen-yr-heol road end (at the edge of a village, or where a road forks) 4
Tÿn-y-rhos - moorland smallholding 5 Tÿnyllechwedd (the) smallholding (of) the
slope 6 Penyfynwent = (the) end / edge (of) the cemetery 7 Pen-y-lôn = lane end
8 Tÿn-y-maes (the) smallholding (of) the field 9 Tÿn-y-wern (the (smallholding)
(of) the marsh 10 Penymynÿdd = mountain top; (the) end / edge (of) the highland
pasture
The disappearing article
What's the difference between Y Brÿn and Brÿn?
Earlier we saw that on signs and maps the definite article can disappear at the
beginning of a name, which can be confusing because some names require the
article and some don't.
In general, in such names the article is in use, but it is not written as part
of the place name except in a few instances Y Bala, Y Fenni, etc.
The disappearing article - this time in the middle of a name
What's the difference in meaning between Glan-y-môr and Glan-môr?
None. One has retained the linking definite article, and the other has lost it.
It is more a characteristic of place names, but even in spontaneous speech in
some areas in colloquial Welsh (notably the north-west) dropping the article in
compound forms is not an unusual phenomenon. We can perhaps compare it with
English 'Made in USA' where we know that if we read the label aloud we must say
'Made in the USA' - we have to put in the 'the'. In Welsh, though, it's gone
altogether - but we know it's still there somewhere!
This happens with the definite article in all its
permtations - y, yr, 'r.
pen y brÿn (the top of the hill, or hill top) > pen brÿn
glan yr afon (the bank of the river, or river bank) > glan afon
tÿ'r nant (the house of the brook, or brook house) > tÿ nant
We know it's still there though lurking behind the scenes because if the
defining element is a feminine noun it has the mutation
gwern = alder marsh
llÿs y wern (the court of the alder marsh, marsh court) > llÿs wern
melin = mill
maes y felin (the field of the mill, mill field) > maes felin
We have already mentioned that in 1883, the Ordnance
Survey produced a slim handbook (in English) for the use of its field examiners
who collected the place names to be used on the maps. ("Instructions to
Field Examiners on the Orthography of Welsh Names with Rules for Compounding,
Initialing and Accenting under Various Conditions.") The authors were
Thomas Rowland, the Vicar of Rhuddlan, and Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Owen Jones
of the Royal Engineers. This is what they said in their handbook:
"The omission of the article in the middle of place-names.
"Nant-y-gelli-ddu" or "Nant-gelli-ddu". In words of this
description the insertion or omission of the article is equally correct. When
the word following the article is not qualified by an adjective, &c., the
article had better be inserted.; "Nant-y-gelli" looks and sounds
better than "Nant-gelli". When the words following the article are
qualified, some naems look ans sound better with the article, others without
it: e.g. "Nant-y-gelli-du." Strictly speaking, "Nant-y-gelli-ddu"
and "Nant-gelli-ddu" are equally correct".
Generally the form with the article is considered more polished.
(And so the 'y' can find its way to where it shouldn't be in the first place.
The Welsh language school by Pont-tÿ-pridd is called Rhÿdfelen [hriid ve
len](yellow ford), but the village it is situated at Rhÿdyfelin [hriid ø ve
lin] (the ford of the mill). There is though no history of any mill there. When
the area was industrialised the local name (pronounced locally Rÿdfelan) was
misinterpreted as Rhÿdfelin, and this was made more dignified by putting back
the 'y' - which it had never had. When the school was opened in 19?? the
correct name of the village was brought back into use)
However, there seems to be a misunderstanding sometimes in the coining of new
names that the defining noun is indefinite - and this has given rise to any
number of street names and house names where the second element is mutated
Maescollen (Abertawe), alongside Maesygollen (Abertawe) and Maesgollen
(Pen-y-waun by Hirwaun)
Heol Cadnawes (Abertawe), where you'd expect Heol y Gadnawes (street of the
vixen). The effect is somewhat jarring - it is as if 'Cadnawes' was being used
as a given name.
EXERCISE
Remove the article
01 Cae'r Ffynnon (well field)
02 Pen-y-dre (top of the town)
03 Glan-y-nant (brook side)
04 Tÿ'r-wern (marsh house)
05 Brÿnyreglwÿs (church hill)
06 Cae'r Eithin (broom field)
07 Cae'r Delÿn (triangular field, field in the shape of a harp)
08 Tÿ'r-brÿn (hill house)
09 Tÿ'r-nant (brook house)
ANSWERS: Cae Ffynnon, Pen-dre, Glan-nant, Tÿ-wern, Brÿneglwÿs, Cae Eithin, Cae
Delÿn, Tÿ-brÿn, Tÿ-nant
21 Numerals
1 un
2 dau (masculine), dwÿ (feminine) [dai, dui] (in the South, dau is dou [doi])
3 tri (m), tair (f) [trii, tair]
4 pedwar (m), pedair (f) [ped-war, pe-der]
5 pump [pimp] Before a noun, this is reduced to pum [pim], but colloquially in
the South it remains as pump
The other numerals are rarely found in place names:
6 chwech [khweekh] Before a noun, this is reduced to chwe [khwee]
7 saith [saith]
8 wÿth [uith]
9 naw [nau]
10 deg [deeg]
100 cant [kant] = a hundred Before a noun, this is reduced to can [kan]
The word for two is Welsh is dau before a masculine noun and dwÿ
before feminine noun.
The singular form of a word comes after the numerals in modern Welsh. So
instead of 'two horses' we have 'two horse'.
After dau and dwÿ there is soft mutation
dau + ceffÿl = dau geffÿl (two horses)
dau + march = dau farch (two stallions)
dwÿ + caseg = dwÿ gaseg (two mares)
In place names, dau and dwÿ are used like prefixes. This is more noticeable in
the case of dau because it has the form deu- [dei]. In the South, this again is
dou- [doi]
traeth [traith] = beach, deudraeth [dei draith] = two beaches
sarn [sarn] = paved causeway, dwÿsarn [dui sarn] = two causeways
Thre is also a soft mutation after the definite article 'y',
and so we get
y ddau / y ddeu-, y ddwÿ / y ddwÿ-
What do these names mean?
1 Bwlch y Ddeufaen
2 Llanddeusant (llan y ddeusant)
3 Cefnddwÿsarn (cefn y ddwÿsarn)
4 Penyddeuglawdd
5 Afon Deunant
6 Aberdaugleddau
7 Cnwc y Ddwÿros
8 Cefnddwÿgraig (cefn y ddwÿgraig)
9 Bwlch y Ddwÿallt
10 Y Ddwÿrÿd (y ddwÿ rÿd)
11 Bwlch y Ddwÿ Gluder
12 Penrhÿndeudraeth
13 Dwÿran
14 Baladeulÿn
ANSWERS
1 Bwlch y Ddeufaen = (the) pass (of) the two stones
SH 7171. A pass near Llanfair Fechan
2 Llanddeusant = church of the two saints. There are two villages wit this name
- SN 7724 in the South-west, and SH 3485 on the island of Môn
3 Cefnddwÿsarn = the hill / back (of) (the) two causeways
SH 9638, 5km north-east of Bala
4 Penyddeuglawdd = (the) top / end (of) the two ditches
5 Afon Deunant = SH 9665 A stream in Llansannan which flows into the river Aled
6 Aberdaugleddau = SM 8404 = (the) estuary (of) the two (rivers) (called)
Cleddau. In English,
7 Cnwc y Ddwÿros = (the) hill (of) the two headlands / moors
8 Cefnddwÿgraig = (the) hill / back (of) (the) two rocks / crags
SH 9233 - a district by Llangywer in Gwÿnedd
9 Bwlch y Ddwÿallt (the) pass (of) the two hills
10 Y Ddwÿrÿd = the two fords SJ 0443. 4km west of Corwen. No connection with
sacred groves - the English name for the place is 'Druid'
11 Bwlch y Ddwÿ Gluder = (the) pass (of) the two (mountains called) Gluder
('cludair' means a stack)
SH 6457. A pass near Llanberis
12 Penrhÿndeudraeth SH 6139 = (the) headland (of) the two strands. 5km east of
Porthmadog.
13 Dwÿran SH 4465 = (the) two parts (dwÿ + soft mutation + rhan)
14 (the) outlet (at) ??two lakes
Examples with the other numbers are:
tri
Trichrug = (tri + crug) three mounds. There is 'spirant mutation' after
tri - c / ch, p / ph, t / th.
This mutation is especially used in spoken Welsh becasue it also occurs after
'ei' meaning 'her' tÿ = house, ei thÿ = her house. But in place names there are
comparatively few instances of it.
Llantrisant (llan y tri sant) = (the) church (of) (the) three saints. ST
0483 - a town in south-east
tair
Tair Erw = three acres
Taironnen = three ashes
pedair
Pedair Erw = four acres
pump
Pum-heol / Pump-hewl, Llanelli. Pum-heol is the literary form. Pump-hewl
is the local form. Called "Five Roads" by the English
Llanpumsaint llan y pum saint = church of the five saints (In Welsh,
'saint' is plural; in Older Welsh, a plural was possible after a numeral)
What do these names mean?
1 Abertrinant
2 Abertridwr
3 Llan-y-tair-mair
4 Penpedairheol (pen y pediar heol)
5 Pedair-hewl
6 Llantrisaint (llan y tri saint)
7 Pumsaint
8 Pedair-ffordd
ANSWERS
1 Abertrinant = (the) confluencr (of) the three streams
2 Abertridwr = (the) confluence (of) the three streams
ST 1289 Eglwÿsilan, south-east
3 Llan-y-tair-mair = (the) church (of) the three Marys
SS 4688. A village in the south-east (English: Knelston)
4 Penpedairheol - (the) end (of) (the) four roads, four roads' end, the
crossroad
two villages in south-east Wales
SO 3303 - a village 5km north-west of Brÿnbuga / Usk
ST 1497 - a village 1km north-east of Gelli-gaer
5 Pedair-hewl
SN 4409. Village by Llangyndeÿrn, South-west Wales.
6 Llantrisaint = (the) church (of) (the) three saints. 'Saint' is the plural of
'sant'. In medieval Welsh a plural noun sometimes followed a numeral.
There are two villages with this name - SH 3683 One on the island of Môn, and
another at the other end of the country - ST 3996 Llantrisaint Fawr, in Sir
Fynwÿ (Monmouthshire)
7 Pumsaint = five saints SN 6540. 11km south-east of Llanbedr Pont Steffan
8 Pedair-ffordd
SJ 1124, near Llanrhaeadr ym Mochnant
22 Preposition 'ar'
A preposition sometimes found in place names is 'ar'. It causes the
soft mutation
Usually it means 'on'.
In some names it means 'opposite, facing' (in fact, it
is historically a different preposition)
Arfon - (the) (region) opposite (the island of) Môn
Argoed - (the) (area) facing (the) woodland
Arfor - (the) (area) facing (the) sea
It is generally found with river names, with the sense
of (bridge) over -
Tawe - pont ar Dawe - Pontardawe bridge over the River Tawe
Dulais - pont ar Ddulais - Pontarddulais
Dyfi - pont ar Ddyfi - Pont ar Ddyfi
Sais - Pont ar Sais - Pont-ar-sais
Cothi - pont ar Gothi - Pontargothi
Mynach - pont ar Fynach - Pontarfynach
Taf- pont ar Daf - Pont ar Daf
Elái - Llanfihangel ar Elái Llanfihangel on (the river) Elái
Ogwr - Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr Pen-y-bont on (the river) Ogwr
Or it is used in the same way as English 'on' or
'upon'
Llanbedr ar Fynÿdd Llanfihangel on mountain (village in Rhondda Cynon
Taf)
Llanfair ar y Brÿn Llanfair on the hill
In house names, it is used as a prefix with words of one syllable meaning
'hill'
twÿn Ardwÿn - on (the) hill
Arfrÿn
Arallt
Arfron
In
ar Hirwaun
ar y Ton-du
ar Donyrefail
Although the preposition 'i' does not occur in place names, it is frequently
seen on signs in the phrase 'Croeso i...' Welcome to. It also causes the soft
mutation.
Cymru - Croeso i Gymru
Caerdÿdd - Croeso i Gaerdÿdd
Llandrindod - Croeso i Landrindod
If the name begins with a definite article, it becomes i'r
Y Bala - Croeso i'r Bala
23 the nasal mutation
The nasal mutation system consists of six letters, and so is
somewhat more complicated.
The letters involved are C,P,T G,B,D
C becomes NGH
P becomes MH
T becomes NH
G becomes NG
B becomes M
D becomes N
Note the relationship - the first three mutations are the same as the second
set, minus the H.
In place names this mutation is seen after the preposition 'in'.
In the soft mutation system, ll, rh and are mutable. Here they are not.
yn Llanelli
yn Rhÿd-y-bont
Before the other consonants (chw, ff, h, j, ll, s, etc) and before vowels there
is no change
yn Ffrainc = in
yn Arfon = in (the district of) Arfon
yn Llandrindod = in (the town of) Llandrindod
Before 'm' the preposition 'yn' becomes 'ym
Machynlleth, ym Machynlleth
Merthÿrtudful, ym Merthÿrtudful
What happens with this mutation?
Caerdÿdd y Nghaerdÿdd / yng Nghaerdÿdd
Pwllheli y Mhwllheli / ym Mhwllheli
Trefynwy y Nhrefynwy / yn Nhrefynwÿ
Glanaman y Nglanaman / yng Nglanaman
Bangor y Mangor / ym Mangor
Dinbych y Ninbych / yn Ninbÿch
The preposition YN is reduced to Y. In the 1800's some writers wrote only 'y'
but nowadays it is written as YNG, YM and YN - a spelling practice which became
common in the 1700's.
The first letters of the mutation (excluding the H)
are added to Y.
y Ngh- / yng Ngh-
y Ng- / yng Ng-
y Mh- / ym Mh
y M- / ym M
y Nh / yn Nh-
y N / y N-
So, "y Nghaerdÿdd" is written "yng Nghaerdÿdd".
But remember, this is only a spelling convention, and yng is pronounced like y
Y Bala yn y Bala
Sometimes instead of writing the article - in cases where there is confusion -
Brÿn - ym Mrÿn, yn y Brÿn.
spell the preposition YN / YNG /YM
1 y Nhrefynwÿ
2 y Mhontardawe
3 y Nholgellau
4 y Mhlaenauffestiniog
5 y Nglanaman
6 y Nghymru
7 y Mhrestatÿn
8 y Nghasnewÿdd
9 y Nghaerffili
10 y Nhÿddewi
ANSWERS:
1 yn Nhrefynwÿ
2 ym Mhontardawe
3 yn Nholgellau
4 ym Mhlaenauffestiniog
5 yng Nglanaman
6 yng Nghymru
7 ym Mhrestatÿn
8 yng Nghasnewÿdd
9 yng Nghaerffili
10 yn Nhÿddewi
In spoken Welsh, there seems to be confusion in the
use of this mutation after yn = in. (This could be a result of bilingualism -
it has been noticed that there is less certainty and more incorrections in the
use of the mutations in the Celtic languages when speakers begin to use the
second language more and more. But it could equally be the result of a tendency
to simplify with in the language itself as we note below)
In some areas people often use the soft mutation
instead of the nasal mutation after 'yn' - yng Nghaerdydd becomes yn
Gaerdydd. There are examples of this in the south-east going back well over
150 years, so it is apparently a simplification which has taken place within
the language, and is not due to the interference of English. The use of the
soft mutation after 'yn' (preposition) could be in imitation of the use of this
mutation after yn (linking particle) - tÿ = house, mawr = big, mae'r tÿ yn
fawr - the house is big.
Or none at all. Yng Nghymru > yn Cymru.
However, this is definitely substandard, and seems to be a very recent
development, by younger bilingual speakers whose grasp of Welsh has been undermined
by their familiarity with English. Unconsciously the Welsh structures and
patterns are being made to conform to English characteristics. No mutation in
English - no mutation in Welsh! In place names the correct traditional mutation
is always found.
24 the spirant mutation
The spirant mutation is restricted to three letters
C becomes CH
[k] > [kh]
P becomes PH
[p] > [f]
T becomes TH
[t] > [th]
It is rarely found in place names
1) after the conjunction a (meaning 'and')
For example, Caerdÿdd and Caernarfon is: Caerdÿdd a Chaernarfon
In place names - Eglwÿs Fair a Churig = (the) church (dedicated to) Mary
(and) Curig
2) After the numeral tri
crug - Trichrug = three mounds
3) in some isolated cases - for example, after ma
(= plain)
ma + Cynllaith - Machynllaith, Machynlleth (plain of Cynllaith)
ma + tafarn - Mathafarn (plain of the tavern, the shop)
ma + Cain - Mechain (plain of the river Cain)
25 llan
CELTIC: The word 'llan' is characteristically Welsh, since it
appears in so many place names in every part of
ROMANCE: The Gaulish word was taken into Latin, and is found in modern French
as 'lande' with the meaning 'moorland, heathland'.
In modern Occitan the Gaulish word has become 'lana',
again meaning 'heathland'. 'Les Lanas' is the Occitan name for the flat lands
of
The original meaing in French, as in Gaulish, was
'woodland glade'. The French word found its way into Middle English (as
'launde'), and this became 'lawn' (= a woodland glade).
Modern English 'lawn' has lost the sense of an open
space in a forest and through shifting its meaing to the grass to be found in
such an open space is now of course 'a closely-mowed stretch of flat ground'.
The Germanic languages had a related word from Indo-European which is the basis
of 'land' in English, German, Frisian, Dutch, and the Scandinavian languages.
Likewise Modern Welsh 'llan' has the same
Indo-European origin as English 'land' and 'lawn'. In Welsh the sense of 'llan'
passed from 'clearing' to 'enclosed land' to 'building' - but in particular an
ecclesiastical buldng. In Irish the word 'lann' is by now archaic, but it had
similar senses- land, building, church.
In Cornish 'lann' is 'church' in place names.
In Breton 'lann' is also 'church' in place names, but
as a common noun it is 'heathland', which may be due to the influence of French
'lande' = heathland
(1) llan meaning 'glade', 'clearing'.
This meaning is retained in the compound 'llannerch' (llan + erch, = dappled)
(2) llan meaning 'enclosure'.
There are a number of words with 'llan' as a last element - perllan = orchard
(pêr = pears), gwinllan = vineyard (gwin = vine, wine). (In
(3) llan meaning 'church'.
In modern Welsh, used by itself it means the Anglican Church (and is also the
name of the magazine of the Church in Wales), or in expressions such as na llan
na chapel - neither the Anglican church nor a non-conformist place of
worship (said of an ungodly person)
and in the North, the parish church, and also a village which has a parish
church within it
In place names, llan is usually followed by the name of a Celtic 'saint' (which
does not mean a canonised saint, as in the Roman Church, but rather
'missionary'). After the Norman invasion of
Some of the Celtic names 'fossilised' in the names of these churches have been
revived in the 1800's and 1900's and have been once again used as forenames -
Cian, Cai, Illtud, Mihangel, Idloes
Late saints' names sometimes are preceded by a word for 'saint' - these are
saints of the Latin calendar
Llan-sant-siôr
Sain Ffagan
Saint-y-brid
Llan is followed by the soft mutation...
(1) POSITION - topography
A church was sometimes defined not by the missionary-saint it was dedicated to,
but to a topographical feature (though in some cases they are shortened forms,
and the dedication has been dropped from ther name)
Llan-faes = field
Llan-wern = alder marsh
Llan-gors = bog
Llan-rhos = moor
Llan-gwm, Llangwm = valley
Llanynÿs = island
Llanaber = estuary
Llanycil = creek, nook
Llancoedmor = big wood
Llanuwchllÿn = above + lake
Llandinam (llan y dinan) = hillfort
Llanrhaeadr = waterfall
The topographical reference is sometimes a river
Llan-daf = Taf
Llangefni = Cefni
Llanystumdwÿ = Dwÿ (ystum = bend in a river)
Llanllyfni = Llyfni
(2) POSITION - administrative unit
Llanddeuddwr = Cwmwd Deuddwr / Cwmteuddwr
Llanymawddwÿ (llan ym Mawddwÿ)
Llanfechain = Mechain (originally Llanarmon ym Mechain)
(3) ADJECTIVE
Llanfor = big
Llan-wen = white
Llanfechan = big
(4) GROUP OF PEOPLE
Llanybydder = byddair, deaf people
Llanymynech = mynaich = monks
(5) NUMBER OF SAINTS
Llantrisant = three
Llantrisaint = three
Llanddeusant = two
Llanpumsaint = five
Betws
This is in fact an English word in origin, from bede-hus {beed-huus, bed-hus}
"bead hous", prayer house. Although a bead is in English today
"a small perforated ball which is threaded with others on a string to form
a necklace" but it was originally a bead from a a rosary - "a string
of beads used to count prayers as they are being recited". And 'bed' in
Old English was the prayer itself - as in modern German: das Gebet [gø beet]
It seems to have been a popular word for churches established in the 1100s and
the 1200s. The change of -dh- to -t- was a normal change in Welsh.
Age of the saints
The Welsh word 'sant' is from the Latin word 'sanctus'. Although it is
translated as 'saint', should not be seen in the present-day definition of 'a
person who is formally recognised after death as having gained a special place
in heaven and the right to veneration by other Chrotians because of his or her
deeds or noteworthy Christian behaviour' and who is entered in the canon of
saints - the list of saints officially recognised by the (Roman Catholic)
church. Originally it meant 'cleric, educated person, Christian trained in a
monastic instituion)
The tradition which the Celtic saints followed seems to have originated in late
Roman rule, in the Egyptian desert, and to have spread to the east - to
Palestine, Syria and Mesoptoamia, and to the west to Gaul and Iberia. Devotion
to God was expressed by organising Christian communties with strict rules, and
by solitaries living in isolated caves and cells.
They also worked as missionaries, working alone or with a small group of
followers. They would set up a wooden cross and built a small beehive cell.
Later, this spot would become a church, keeping the name of the founder, and in
time becoming a parish church. The monk or nun would continue to set up places
of worship and then retire to a remote spot to devote himself or herself to
prayer until death. The tomb would then be regarded as a place where miracles
might be effected.
26 capel
Capel is a late borrowing, word from Church Latin
"cappella" . Most Latin words in Welsh came from the colloquial Latin
used during the Roman occupation. If this word had followed this route, it
would have become "cabell" during the change from British to Welsh.
"Cappella" means "hooded cloak" . It's the same word as in
English "cape" (short cloak) from French, which got the word from
Occitan, and comes from Latin cappa "hood". And the same as English
"cap" which is directly from Latin "cappa".
The "cappella" was the cloak of
In place names, depending on how old the name is, 'capel' is either a secondary
church in a parish, or a Non-Conformist building.
The Non-Conformist chapel names have become village names in some cases
(YR ADRAN HON HEB EI GORFFEN) (THIS SECTION TO BE
COMPLETED)
Babel
Babel (SN 8235) (Llanfair ar y Brÿn) Llanymddyfri
Bethania, (in the English Bible, Bethany)
'House of dates', a village on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives where
the ascension took place
Bethania, Llan-non
Bethania , Blaenau Ffestiniog
Bethel, Caernarfon
a pool in
Bethesda,
Bethesda-bach Caernarfon
house of bread - birthplace of Jesus, in Judah
Bethlehem, Llandeilo
Beula (in the English Bible,
Beulah)
There is also a Welsh spelling Biwla
'married' - allegorical name for
Beulah, Llanwrtud
Beulah, Castellnewÿdd Emlÿn
Carmel
a place ein Judah where Saul set up a monument to commemorte his victory ove r
the Amalekites
1 Sam 15:12
Carmel, Caernarfon
Carmel, Treffynnon
Carmel, Llannerch-y-medd
Carmel, Llan-rwst
Dynea
Ebenezer
(situation unknown) = stone of help
stone erected by Samuel between Mizpah and Jeshanah to commemorate a victory
over the Philistines
1 Samuel
Gereizim
mountain near Schechem, facing
described as montain of blessing
DT 11:29
Golan
chief town of a district called Gaulanitis, modern Joân
location unknown?
Golan, Garndolbenmaen
Hermon
Hermon, Glog, Dyfed
Hermon, Bodorgan
Horeb
a sacred mountain called 'mpuntain of God' Exod 3:1
Moses received his call Exod ...
Horeb, Llandysul
Líbanus (in the English
'white' - name from snow on the summit - famous for fragrance and beauty
vca
Hos 14:6f
Nah1:4
Isa 35:2 60:13
Líbanus, Aberhonddu
Moreia (in the English Bible, Moriah)
site not identified for certain
2 Chr 3:1
Nasareth (in the English Bible,
angel visits Mary hereçJesus brought up here
Nasareth, Caernarfon
Nebo
High mountain in the
across
from which Jesus viewed the Promised Land
and where he died
Nebo, Llan-non, Dyfed
Nebo, Amlwch
Nebo, Caernarfon
Nebo, Llanrwst
Peniel
Peniel, Caerfyrddin
Peniel, Dinbÿch
Penuel
where Jacon wrestled with abgel
Gen32 31
Called Peniel in Gen 32 30
Penuel, Capelbelan, Bedwrog
Pisga (in the English Bible, Pisgah)
a mountain in
Moses viewed the Promised Land and died
separated by a depression from
Rehoboth
'broad places'
name of a well dug by Isaac
Gen 26 22
Sardis, Milffwrdd
Sardis, Saundersfoot
Soar (in the English Bible, Zoar)
Soar, Llanfyllin, Powÿs
Soar, Bodorgan
Soar, Talsarnau
Soar y Mynÿdd
Saron
Saron, Llandysul
Saron, Dinbÿch
Saron, Caernarfon
Seion (in the English Bible,
Capelseion
Brÿnseion
Siloam
Tabernacl (in the English Bible,
Tabernacle)
Tabor
Dolgellau
Narberth
chapel names
Chapel names
In the early 1800s it became very popular amongst Welsh
non-Conformists to use Biblical names for their chapels and meeting houses.
In the magazine Yr Haul (November 1846),
representing the interests of the Church of England, a writer Dyfnwal took a
dim view of the new naming practices.
(Translated from Welsh): (after criticising the style
of language in non-Conformist sermons, and the quality of the ministry) But
there is a fanaticism more foolish than any other to be found in the names
given to meeting houses here and there all over the country. Thinking they are
being wise, godly, and scriptural, the greatest silliness, ungodliness and lack
of scripturality is shown. Before going any further, let me ask - is there any
special reason for giving Hebrew names to Welsh chapels? Yet this is the
idiotic practice which is in vogue, until
Many
chapel names form part of street names; and some have become village names,
among which there are
Ainon, Babel, Bethania, Bethel, Bethesda, Bethlehem, Beulah,
Cesarea, Carmel, Golan, Hebron, Hermon, Horeb, Líbanus, Moriah, Nasareth, Nebo,
Peniel, Salem, Soar, Saron, Seion, Siloh
Sometimes the names are spelt as in the modern
Welsh Bible
Seion / Pisga / Moreia / Soar and at other times as in the English Bible: Zion
/ Pisgah / Moriah / Zoar Some names in -h are so spelt in some editions of the
Welsh Bible (Pisgah, etc)
|
WELSH SPELLING |
ENGLISH SPELLING |
|
Ainon (Ioan 3:23) |
Aenon (John 3:23) |
|
Babel |
Babel |
|
Berea (Actau 17:10) |
Berea |
|
Bethania |
Bethany |
|
Bethel |
Bethel |
|
Bethesda |
Bethesda |
|
Bethlehem |
Bethlehem |
|
Beulah |
Beulah |
|
Cesarea |
Caesarea |
|
Carmel |
Carmel |
|
Garisim |
Gerizim |
|
Golan |
Golan |
|
Gosen (Genesis 25:10) |
Goshen |
|
Hebron |
Hebron |
|
Hermon |
Hermon |
|
Horeb |
Horeb |
|
Líbanus |
Lebanon |
|
Moreia |
Moriah |
|
Nasareth |
Nazareth |
|
Nebo |
Nebo |
|
Peniel (Genesis 32:30) |
Peniel |
|
Penuel (Genesis 32:31) |
Penuel |
|
Rehoboth (Genesis 26:22) |
Rehoboth |
|
Philadelffia |
Philadelphia |
|
Pisga (Deuteronomium 34:1) |
Pisgah |
|
Salem |
Salem |
|
Soar |
Zoar |
|
Sardis |
Sardis |
|
Saron |
Sharon |
|
Seion, Sion |
Zion |
|
Siloam |
Siloam |
|
Silo |
Shiloh |
|
Smyrna (Deuteronomium 34:1) |
Smyrna |
|
Tabernacl |
Tabernacle |
|
Tabor |
Tabor |
END OF THIS PAGE
© HAWLFRAINT IANTO 2000
_________________________________________
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