Bob & Peg <r.haycock(a)value.net.nz> wrote:
Can anyone explain the geography of HydanDol, Dolarddyn and Castle
Caereinion. I have learned that Dolarddyn is/was just a locality about a
mile N.W. of Castle. C. Close by is/were several localities named
variously Hydan Dol, Hydan Ucha, Hydan Fawr, plus a few other Hydans. My
particular interest is a place called Hydan & Dol.
So, if Hydan was only a locality, why the proliferation of place names
in one area?
==================
Dear Bob and Peg,
Castell Caereinion is the name of a village and parish in
Montgomeryshire (the village is at grid reference SJ164054).
Dolarddyn is the name of a mansion (at grid reference SJ152063) and
possibly its estate. Dolarddyn is 1 mile northwest of Castell Caereinion
village.
I think you'll find that Hydan Dol, Hydan Ucha[f], Hydan Fawr, Fron
Hydan, etc., are the names of *farms* rather than the names of
locations. The 1881 census shows four "dwellings" containing the name
Hydan:
Hydan Dol (occupied by a DAVIES family)
Hydan Inn (occupied by a THOMAS family)
Hydan Ucha (occupied by a JONES family)
Hydan Farm (occupied by another JONES family)
In each of the above cases, the head of the household was a farmer.
Descriptive terms such as dôl (meadow), uchaf (upper/higher), isaf
(lower), fawr (greater), fach (lesser), fron (hillside), bryn (hill),
etc., are commonly applied to the names of neighbouring farms to
distinguish them from each other. See the Glossary of Welsh Place-name
Elements on my website -
http://home.clara.net/wfha/wales/glossary/
Unfortunately, the word 'hydan' is not mentioned in my Welsh dictionary
and I do not know its meaning.
Kind regards,
John
----------------------------------
John Ball, South Wales, UK
E-mail: wfha(a)clara.co.uk
Welsh Family History Archive (WFHA):
http://home.clara.net/wfha/wales/index.htm
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