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

Penrhiwfer.- Pen, head, top; rhiw, slope, mountain-side; fir, feminine form of the adjective byr, short, abrupt.English name — Uphill.Pandy. — Several grinding mills were in the Rhondda Valley called Cwmsatrbren Mill, Tyle Coch Mill, &c,and Pandy was the fulling mill. English name— Fulling Mill.Pentre. — A populous village near Treorchy, so called from a very ancient farmstead bearing the name. Itwas decided, at a meeting of the Rhondda Chamber of Trade, April 8th, 1886, to petition the Postmaster-General for a town post-office at Pentre, to be called Ystrad Rhondda.Pendoylan. — A corruption of Pendeulwyn, which means " the top of two groves." The physical aspect of thedistrict probably suggested the name. English name — Grovesend.Pantdu. — Pant, a hollow; du, black, so called from an old farmstead bearing the name, and it answers tothe physical position of the village, being* situated in a dreary dingle between Cwmavon and Aberavon.English name — Darkcomb.Pwllygwlaw. — This village takes its name from a farmhouse so called. Pwll, pool; gwlaw, rain. Englishname — Rainpool.Pantcadifor. — So called, according to some, in honour of Cadivor, son of Cedrych, who is supposed tohave lived here some time. Others think Cadifor is a corruption of cawd Ifor, signifying the place Back wasfound dead after a terrible conflict with his enemies. A few refer the name to Coed Ifor, Ivor's wood. Englishname- Ivor this-place, or Ivorton.Pantscallog. — The village takes its name from a farmhouse of the same appellation. Sgallog is anabbreviation of y sgallog, abounding with thistles. English name — Thistleham.Penmarc. — The name signifies the head of St. Mark. We had occasion before to refer to Mark's cross, buthere we are quite at sea as to the origin of Mark's head. English name — Markshead.Penrice. — An Anglicism of the Welsh Pen Rhys y Rhys' s head. Rhys, the son of Caradog ab Iestyn, wasbeheaded here by the Normans in 1099, from which circumstance the place took its name. English name —Reeshead.Penyfai. — Fai is a mutation of mat, a. plain; therefore, the name signifies the head of the plain * Englishname — Plainham.Pentrebach. — The name signifies a small village. It is situate about a mile below Merthyr Tydfil, and socalled, evidently, to distinguish it from the latter, which is called colloquially Y Pentref, the village* Englishname — Smallham.Port Eynon. — Probably from Einion, a descendant of Howell the Good. See Cors Einion.Pentyrch. — The affix has elicited many conjectures. An old tradition has it that a parish wake was wont tobe held in the vicinity in olden times, during which very questionable pastimes were carried on. A few daysprevious to the festival a piece of wood was fixed in the ground. Every young woman that intended beingpresent in the wake was expected to make a torch (torque or wreath), with her name on it, and the colourshe purposed wearing on that day plaited therein. This wreath was an ornament worn by our forefathersround the neck, formed of small rings of metals interlaced in each other. One young woman produced abetter torque than all her rivals, and the bystanders unanimously exclaimed, " Wei, dyma ben y tyrch," i.e., "Well, this is the head of the torques," and so runs the traditional origin of this place-name. " Mi dyna'r dorch achwi" ("I'll pluck the torques with you ") is a very common Welsh expression. Some think the name is acorruption of Pen-yr-ych, the head of the ox. There is a combe hard by called Cwm-y-fuwch, the vale of thecow, the extreme end of which bears striking resemblance to the form of an ox's head. The right wording isPen Twrch, boar's head, from the similarity of the brow of the Garth mountain, at the base of which thevillage quietly rests, to a boar's head. A mountain in Wales is called Moel-ben twrch, boar's head hill,obviously for the same reason. English name — Boar's Head.Origin of Place-names in Wales & Monmouthshire Page 66