Collecting Welsh Place Names

An illustrated talk by Dr James January-McCann



Thursday 21^st May, Meifod Village Hall, at 7.30pm

Do you know what it’s called…?

Have you ever asked someone if they know what a local field, or lane, or house or part of a village, is called? Have you ever been asked?

Sometimes you’re lucky, and an old map will give a name that’s not used now, or a long-term resident will say that when they were a child, we called it…

But old names are disappearing – or being replaced – or anglicised – and with them a part of Welsh history and culture is disappearing.

Dr James January-McCann, at the Royal Commission Wales, is working hard to reverse the trend. He is ensuring that as many names as possible – from a wide range of sources, written and oral – are being recorded, and, with 700,000 individual place names now on the List, it is becoming a groundbreaking resource.

The List of Historic Place Names of Wales that James is developing has a number of uses – it is, for example, an invaluable research source for historians or geographers, but is also used as the basis for officially naming new streets and developments across Wales.

When he comes to Meifod History Group on 21^st May, James – Place Names Officer at the Royal Commission – will delve into the history and development of the List, discuss the various sources that it draws material from, and talk about the excitement of re-discovering old local place names, with what they tell us about the past.

The event is free to members of Meifod Local History Group, and costs £4 for non-members.