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

Whitland. — A semi-translation of the Welsh name " Hen dy Gwyn at Daf," old white house on the Taf. Thiswas the hunting-house of Hywel Dda, built by him in 914. In order to distinguish it from common houses itwas built of white perches, supposed to be 18ft. in length. Here Hywel and six of the wisest men in hisdominion met in 927 to revise and amend the laws of the Cymry. English name — Whitham.CARNARVONSHIRE.An Anglicized form of Caev-yn-Arfon, the fortified town opposite to Mona. After the subjugation of Walesunder Edward I. the name of the town was applied to the newly-formed county, comprising of the Lleyn andEifionydd.Lleyn. — A region, according to some, that derived its name from Lleyn, the son of Baran. He conquered thisportion of the territory of the King of Gwynedd, and called it the country of Lleyn (Iolo MSS., 346). The latecelebrated antiquarian, Mr. Owen Williams, of Waenfawr, derives it from lleuyn, which is synonymous withlleuar, lleuad, goleuad, goleuni, signifying light, splendour. Lleuer haul, the light of the sun. He founds hisreasons upon the fact that Lleyn is an even country, enjoying the light of the sun from morning till dusk;hence it was called Lleyn, the land of the light. Dr. Owen Pughe translates Lleyn thus — lleyn, a stripe, atongue of land, which corresponds with the physical aspect of this part of the Principality.Eifionydd. — Eifion means the land of rivers. Afon f a river, eifion, an old plural form of afon, as meibionbecomes the plural of hab, a son. Ap, a Sanskrit root signifying water, is seen in the names of the Punj-ab,the land of the five rivers; Do-ab, a district between the two rivers Ganges and Jumna. We find it also in theriver-names of the L-ab and Dan-ub-ue, or Danube.Aber, or Abergwyngregyn. — From the quantity of cockles found there. The river Gwyngregyn, whiteshells, discharges itself into the sea about half-a-mile below the village. English name — Shellmouth.Aberdaron. — The village is situate at the mouth of the river Daron. Although an insignificant place, it isfamous for being the birth-place of Richard Robert Jones, alias Die Aberdaron, the celebrated linguist. Thename was anciently applied to the Deity, signifying "Thunderer." Daron implies noisy water. English name —Dinmouth.Abererch. — The river Erch flows into the sea a little below the village; hence the name. Erch means dark,frightful. Some think the ancient name of the river is Eirch, the plural form of arch, coffin, from the traditionthat coffins were sometime seen floating down the river. We adopt the former derivation. English name-Darkmouth.Abersoch. — The village lies at the mouth of the river Soch. Soch means a sink, a drain, a ditch, so calledfrom the slow course and muddy hue of the river. English name— Drainmouth.Avon Wen. — This name was taken from the river, which has its source near Mynachdy gwyn, the whitemonastery. Wen is the feminine form of gwyn, white. English name — Whiteriver.Bangor. — Ban, high, superior; gor-cor, a circle, a stall, a choir. Cor is now used in many parts of thePrincipality to denote a pew or seat. The term cor has also been rendered " college." Bangor means the chiefenclosure or circle, and when applied to any particular establishment, it signifies a 'high choir, or chiefcollege. " The common churches were called corau, but the chief or superior churches bangorau, becausethey were the chief theological seminaries of the period, the centres from which the Christian religionextended over the country. It is supposed that this Bangor was established as early as the year 525 byDeiniol ab Dunawd, which shows that a University College is not a new boon to this city. English name —Highton.Beddgelert. — Various derivations are assigned to this popular name. It is said that a hermit erected a boothin the place, and, in the course of time, a church was built on the same site, and was called Bwth CilfachGarth, which was corrupted into Bwth Cilarth, and then Bethcelert. Some trace it to the name of Celer, thepatron saint of Llangeler. Tradition says the name is derived from the following circumstance: — At a remoteperiod, when wolves were numerous, and consequently formidable in Wales, Llewelyn the Great came toreside here for the hunting season, with his princess; but while the family were absent one entered theOrigin of Place-names in Wales & Monmouthshire Page 39