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

means a cultivated region, a vale, and Nudd is supposed to have held a court (llys) here; hence the name.English name — Court Vale.Llwydcoed. — Llwyd, grey; coed y wood. In the sixteenth century the forest of Llwydcoed was reckoned tobe one of the finest in the Principality. English name — Greywood.Llwynpia. — From a farmhouse so named. Llwyn, bush, grove; pia, a pie. English name — Pieton.Llanishen. — The church was dedicated to Isan, a disciple of Illtyd. Isan has been corrupted to Ishen.English name — Isanton.Llansamlet. — " Bonedd y Saint " tells us that the church was founded by Samled, who flourished in theseventh century. The place is sometimes called Llwynbrwydrau, grove of battles, which probably refers tosome battles that were fought here. English name — Samled.Llantrisant.- -Its ancient name was Llangawrdaf, so called in honour of Cawrdaf, who founded a seminaryhere. Llantrisant implies that the church was dedicated to three saints, namely, Illtyd, Tyfodwg, and Gwyno;hence the peculiar name. English name — Saintham.Llanillteyrn. — Illtern is a corruption of Elldeyrn f the name of the saint who founded the church in the fifthcentury. Elldeyrn signifies a strange or foreign king. English name — Kingschurch.Melin Griffith. — This place derives its name from a Mr. Griffith, who kept a mill (melin) here to grind corn forthe farmers of the district. English name —Griffith's Mill.Melin Crythan. — So called from a mill situated on the brook Crythan. Crythan means a little crooth, or itmay come from the verb cryddu, to stretch, or extend round. English name — Croothmill.Michaelstone-super-Ely. — A translation of the Welsh Llanfihangel-ar-Elai, from the dedication of thechurch to St. Michael, and its situation on the river Ely.Mumbles. — This place was anciently known by the name Oystermouth, so called, it is said, from itsabundance of oysters, of which even now considerable quantities are yearly sent to London and otherplaces. In "Y Cymrodor," vol. vi., part II., page 149, one writer says that " whether of Scandinavian origin, asa local antiquary of repute would have it, or Celtic as is sometimes contended, it is certain the village owesnothing to the oysters of the neighbouring sea for its name, the early form of writing which was *Ostremuere.' " The present name was probably derived from the perpetual mumbling of the sea.Manselfield. — So called in honour of the Mansel family. William Mansel, Esq., Penrice Castle, was theowner of the estate in the reign of Henry VI.Maesteg. — The popular Welsh name was Llwyni, bushes, from a farmstead of the name, but was changedto Llyfnwy by Nathan Dyfed at an eisteddfod held here in 1839. The present name is a compound of mats, afield, which probably comes from the Sanskrit matrix terra; and teg, fair; so called from another farmsteadbearing the name. English name — Fairfield.Merthyr Tydfil. — The town takes its name from the martyr Tydfil, daughter of Brychan Brycheiniog, whowas brutally murdered here by the heathen Picts, August 23rd, 420. Some are of opinion that the ParishChurch is built on the scene of murder, and hence dedicated to Tydfil. English name — Tydfilton.Mawdlam. — A corruption of Magdalen. An old church in the parish was dedicated to St. Mary Magdalen.English name — Magdalen.Morriston. — So called in honour of Sir John Morris, Clasmont, who built a large copper works here in 1768,and thereby rendered the largest quota to the growth of this populous place.Margam. — Morgan Mwynfawr, the Courteous, founded Margam Abbey, which was known for somecenturies by the name of Morgan, and ultimately it was changed into Margam. Rees Meyric believed that "Robert (Consul) founded Morgan (Margam) 1146, and was benefactor to the Abbey of Neath seventeenyears before Morgan was founded." — " Morganie Archaiographioe," page 29. English name — Morganton.Origin of Place-names in Wales & Monmouthshire Page 64