People submit Welsh placenames to project to protect linguistic heritage | Wales

Dozens of Welsh place names, some hinting at ancient legends, others telling rich stories of how people lived, have been submitted to a project designed to ensure their preservation.

Welsh government called on people to add historical names may be missing from online maps so they can be preserved for future generations. Within two weeks nearly 200 applications were received, including local Gaelic language names for fields, hills and fields.

Among the names submitted so far are:

• Dôl y Tylwyth Teg (Fairy Folk Meadow/Fairy Meadow) at Aberfan in South Wales. The person who submitted the proposal said that this area is known by its Welsh name to people who speak the Welsh language Cymraeg. A nearby Welsh-language school calls the area by this name and uses it for events.

• Caeau Maelorddin (Fields of Maelor City) near Aberystwyth in West Wales is a collection of fields near Tanybwlch beach. The contributor said his late grandfather remembered many people referring to a group of areas now individually named as Caeau Maelorddin. They were near the hill of Pen Dinas, where the giant Maelor Gawr was said to live.

• According to the author, Ffynnon Glog (Rock Well), near Rhyd in Gwynedd in north Wales, is a well hidden in a roadside bank. Once used as a cure for diseases, the well’s water takes its name from Y Glog, a prominent rock nearby.

This year, research found We found that most changes to property names do not involve a change in language, but when they do they are three times more likely to be renamed from English to Welsh than vice versa.

Other priorities for the Welsh government include issuing clearer guidance for local authorities and organizations responsible for place names, and launching inquiries into the names of physical features in the landscape, such as hills and streams.

The government says the project is based on work done through mapping projects such as: Mapio Cymru And List of Historical Place NamesAs well as public institutions such as the Eryri and Bannau Brycheiniog national parks.

Welsh language secretary Mark Drakeford said: “Place names tell the story of who we are and where we come from. These new measures show that our Welsh place names come from legendary mountains. Destiny Idris Felin Wen, an old mill that tells the story of a small community, is preserved for future generations, making it easy for everyone to participate.”