handbook of the origin of place-names in wales and monmouthshire

find Knockglass, Knockdow, &c. English name— GreenbankLlananno. — The church is dedicated to Wonno, or Llantto. English name— Annoton.Llanbadarn Fawr. — The church is dedicated to Tadarn, a descendant of Emyr Llydaw, and it is called Fawrin distinction from Llanbadarn- Fynydd and Llan-badarn-y-Gareg. English name — Padarn Major.Llandegley. — The church was probably dedicated to Tegwel, a Welsh saint. Tegwel means a faircountenance or aspect. English name Fairchurch.Llangunllo. — The church is dedicated to Cunllo, a Welsh saint. Cunllo, or Cynllo, is probably made up ofcyn, the first or chief, and llo or lo, referred by Professor Rhys to a word of the same origin as the Latin lupus,a wolf. English name — Wolfton.Llandrindod. — Its ancient name was Ffynon Llwyn y Gdg, the well of the cuckoo's bush; but in 1603 thechurch was dedicated to the Drindod (Trinity); hence the name. English name — Trichurch.Llanddewi-Ystradenni. — The church is dedicated to St. Dewi. Ystrad, a flat, a vale; enni-yn-wy, on or nearthe water. The village is situated in a low vale on the river Ithion. English name — Ithonton.Llanfareth. — The church is situated near the confluence of the rivers Mareth and Wye; hence the name.Mareth signifies lively or active water. English name— Sprighton.Llanfihangel Rhydithon. — The church is dedicated to St. Michael. Rhyd, a ford; Ithon, the name of theriver that flows through the parish. English name — Ithonford.Llanyre. — Yre is an abbreviation of Llyre. The church is dedicated to Llyr, a descendant of CuneddaWledig, and a saint of the fifth century. English name — Lyrton.Meisty-Rhos-Lowry. — Meisty is, probably, a corruption of maes, a field, and ty, a house; rhos, a drymeadow, a plain. Lowry perplexes us; the root, perhaps, is llawr, ground; or, perhaps, it is a gross mutilationof loyw-ddu, reddish black, in allusion to the hue of the boggy ground. English name— Plainton.Monoghty. — A corruption of mynach-dy, a monastery. It is supposed that a monastery stood here in oldentimes. Monaughty Poydd (Salop) is said to be Monachty Posth, the hot monastery. English name —Monkton.Nantmel. — Nant, a brook; mil, according to some' is an abbreviation of Mael, a personal name; but werather think it is the Welsh for honey; hence the name means honey-brook, so called, perhaps, from its hue,or from the hives of wild bees in the neighbouring; rocks. English name — Honeybrook.Norton. — The name probably means north-town, or, perhaps, Norman town. The British name wassupplanted by that of the Norman Castle.Painscastle. — A castle was built here during the Norman period by the De Pain family, whose name wasconferred upon it and the village which lies at the base of the hill. Pain was a Norman knight, and his wick(Gloucester).Presteign. — It was anciently known as Llanandras, so called from the dedication of the church to St.Andrew. The English name means the priest's town. The name is also preserved in Paignton (Devon) andPainswick. It is the solitary instance of Prest occurring in Welsh place-names. We have thirty-six Prestonstwo Prestburys, and two Prestwolds, in the nomenclature of England; but we have only one in Wales, andthat occurs in the more than half English county of Radnor. Who was this priest? Probably David Martin,bishop of St. David's, about the end of the thirteenth century. He was an extraordinary benefactor to thisplace having obtained for the inhabitants many privileges, and among others, those of holding a weeklymarket on Saturday, and fairs three times a year. English name — Prieston.Pantydwr. — The name signifies the hollow of the water. English name — Dalewater.Penybont. — The end of the bridge; hence Bridgend.Origin of Place-names in Wales & Monmouthshire Page 97