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

Penderyn. — A corruption probably of Penydaren, which is a very frequent term in South Wales, signifying arocky cliff, a rocky tump. The church is situated on the very summit of a rock. Pen-mailard is close by, whichis a corruption of Pen-moel-arth, the summit of the bare cliff. English name — Cliff by.Pentrefelin. — Pentre, village; felin, mill. English name — Millham.Pentre Solers. — From the Solers or de Solariis, Norman conquerors, who settled in the neighbourhood,and continued to be very wealthy and influential here until the middle of the seventeenth century. Anotherbranch of the house of Solers settled at Pauntley and Shipton Solers, in Gloucestershire. English name—Solerston.Pontbrenllwyd. — Pont, bridge; pren, wood; Uwydy grey, adorable. In olden times a very ancient oak-treewas thrown across the rivulet in the place, which was a very good specimen of the unadorned woodenbridges of our forefathers. In course of time this old much-worn oak became a kind of a trough, for which itwas called Pontbrenllwyd. English name— Woodbridge.Pontneddfechan. — Nedd fechan, the lesser Neath, is a tributary emptying itself into the greater Neathriver, and spanned by a bridge in the village, hence the name. English name — Neath Bridge.Pontsarn. — Sam, Roman paved road. The common opinion is that the Romans constructed a road fromMerthyr Tydfil over the site of the present Cyfarthfa Park to the place now called Pontsarn. English name —Bridge-road.Pontsenny. — The name signifies a bridge across the Senny river. Senny is derived by some from san, afishery, nets; and gwy, water; signifying a river abounding in fishes. Mr. Jones (" History of Brecknock ")derives it from the Celtic seanaidd, to drop or ooze forth, the name, accordingly, signifying the oozing orflowing water. It might be a corruption of swn-wy, the noisy water. English name — Dinwater Bridge.Pontsticyll. — A compound of pont, bridge; and ystigl, a stile, from the Anglo-Saxon stigel, a step. Stigan, toascend. About the beginning of this century there was an old bridge, a little below the village, with a stile ateach end of it, from which the place received its name. English name — Bridgestile.Princetown. — From an old public house in the place called " Prince of Wales."Pwllgwrach. — Pwll, a pool; gwrach, a hag; literally, the hag's pool. The village lies in a deep valley at thebase of Talgarth Hill. English name — Hag's Pool.Rhosferrig. — Rhos, moor, meadow; Ferrig from Ferreg, an extensive district situate between the riversWye and Severn. The suffix is probably a corruption of Meurig. English name — Moorton.Seven Sisters. — Mr. Bevan, when he opened his colliery in the place, called it Seven Sisters in honour ofhis seven daughters.Tafarnau Bach. — The ancient name of this place was Twyn-aber-dwynant, a hillock where two brooksembrace each other. Some derive the present name from tafarn a bach, a public house with a hook attachedto the outer wall, whereto the rider, having dismounted his steed, could fasten it. Others derive it from thegreat number of small taverns in the place. English name — Tavernton.Talachddu. — Achddu is the name of a small brook. Ach, a stem, a pedigree, a river; ddu, inflection of du,black. We find ach in Clydach, Mawddach, &c. The river Ach has its source in the Black Mountain; hence it iscalled Achddu. English name- Blackbrook.Talgarth. — Garth mear denotes the end or head of hill. English name — BrowhTalybont. — Tal, when applied to bont means end; but when applied to Taliesin means radiant front c ???and means Bridgend.Talyllyn. — Llyn, lake. The name signifies the end of a lake. Safaddan Lake is close by. English name —Lake's End.Origin of Place-names in Wales & Monmouthshire Page 24