Welsh Placenames
Welsh Placenames Project
The project builds on the report published by the Pwyllgor Iaith (Language Committee) in 2018, that presented a picture of what the various officers and departments within the Council were responsible for with respect to the naming of properties, outlining the need to sychronise the Council’s procedures on the mater as well as highlighting the opportunities available to promote the use of Welsh place names and in turn the status of the Welsh language with our external partners.
The report highlighted the need to:
- Synchronise the way in which the Council operates respect to using Welsh place names
- Ensure that priority is given to Welsh place names when dealing with external partners
- Endeavour to take proactive steps to safeguard and restrict the changing of indigenous names
The aim is that:
- Clear procedures are established within the Council for the effective use of its influence in giving Welsh place names status and protection.
- We will establish a policy or procedure to ensure that any officers within the Council understand their scope of influence and the steps they should take to protect Welsh names.
- That there will be less names being changed to other languages and that our external partners will support the use of Welsh place names as opposed to ‘new’ more recent names.
- That the status of Welsh place names will be raised and that there is, within the county’s residents and visitors, and increased awareness of the importance that these names carry.
The project in general has two directions:
- To look at how property names are changed, how maps and lists are officially updated and what statuory rights under the curent legislation does the Council have to influence the situation. The aim is to ensure the implementation of steadfast policies to prevent Welsh names being changed and as a consequence, lost forever.
- To promote the importance of, and to educate the public about place names and the rich history and cultural heritage attached to them. To increase the respect for place names through working with local community groups, schools, societies and by posting entertaining and imformative content on social media platforms. The thinking is that more the respect for Welsh placenames, the less likely they are to be changed.
Welsh Placenames Map
The Local Place Names map has been developed by the Council as a way of collecting and recording local Welsh names for places and features within our communities.
View more information and map
Useful links