Bryn, Glyn, and Llyn...

You are aware that I am trying to explore the whole of Great Britain in this blog, but you may have noticed a certain affinity I have for the Principality of Wales.  It is true...  I love the country, I love the people, and I love the history.  To the uninitiated, it may appear that today's offering is about people, but that is not so; it is about some of the place names found in this western quarter of the British Isles.

As I have mentioned before, American town names appear unimaginative compared to their British counterparts.  Instead of just simply calling them Gas City or Oil City, or applying the name of person (Columbus, Georgetown etc), there is some thought behind the name.  This is particularly true when one considers the name in the the traditional Welsh language.  That's correct, they are named in Welsh, with some using an alternative English name also.  It gives them a beautiful and poetic feel, I think.

Bry, Glyn, and Llyn are prefixes commonly found in Wales, but some can also be used a suffix.  A Bryn is a "hill", Glyn is a "glen or valley", and Llyn is a "lake or pool".  There are many others, including : Aber (the mouth of a river), Betws (a house of prayer), Pentre (a village), and Tal (the end or front).  Here are some places found across the country, with the origin of their name.  With most, you should see how the names are constructed.

Abergele (Clwyd) - The mouth of the River Gele.
Betws-y-Coed (Gwynedd) - The prayer house in the wood.
Blaenau Ffestiniog (Gwynedd) - The head of the valley in the land of Ffestin.
Bryn Mawr (Glamorgan) - The big hill.
Capel Dewi (Dyfed) - The chapel of David.
Castell-Meirch (Gwent) - The castle of stallions.
Croesyceiliog (Dyfed) - The cross of the cockerel.
Cwmtwrch (Powys) - The valley of the river of the boar.
Dinbych-y-pysgod (Dyfed) - The small fort of the fish.
Glyncoch (Glamorgan) - The red glen.
Llanpumsaint (Dyfed) - The church of five saints.
Mynachlog-ddu (Dyfed) - The black monastery.
Nantyglo (Gwent) - The stream of the coal.
Parcllyn (Dyfed) - The parkland of the lake.
Rhosrobin (Clwyd) - The moorland of the robin.
Tafarnaubach (Gwent) - The little taverns.
Treherbert (Dyfed) - The homestead of Herbert.
Uwchmynydd (Gwynedd) - Above the mountain.
Y Maerdy (Glamorgan) - The dairy house.
Yr Eglwys Newydd ar y cefn (Gwent) - The new church on the ridge.
Ystradgynlais (Powys) - The valley of Cynlais.