Place-Names Derivation – LLAN
THE DERIVATION AND MEANING OF PLACE-NAMES
We’ll now look at some common elements in Welsh Place-names.
LLAN
The most common element by far in Welsh place-names is the word ‘llan’. If you were to look at a book of place-names, you would see that there are over 400 places in Wales which begin with the element ‘Llan’ – an incredible number, I’m sure you’ll agree, in a country the size of Wales!
The original meaning of ‘llan’ was an enclosed piece of land on which produce was grown. It is derived from the Brythonic word ‘llann’ and the earlier Celtic form ‘landa’. By the 12th Century it had developed to mean an enclosed piece of consecrated land – often surrounding a religious building. It developed further to convey the extended land around a religious building – much like a small parish. Nowadays, the word ‘llan’ refers to the religious building itself – the church. You’ll also find many place-names containing this element in Scotland, Cumbria, Cornwall, Brittany and over Offa’s Dyke, in Herefordshire for example – evidence of the widespread existence of the Celtic language.
In most of the ‘llan’ place-names, this element precedes the name of the saint to whom the church is dedicated. It is a feminine noun and the rules of Welsh grammar dictate that words following a feminine noun will undergo a Soft Mutation – i.e. the initial consonant softens. We see this phenomenon in such place-names as Llandudno (Tudno), Llanberis (Peris), Llangadog (Cadog), Llangollen (Collen), Llandeilo (Teilo).
Only 9 consonants undergo this softening – all others are used in their original form Llanisien (Nisien), Llansadwrn (Sadwrn), Llanidloes (Idloes), Llanelli (Elli).
Not all ‘llan’ place-names include a saint’s name. As there are so many places in Wales based on this element, it can be useful to include a geographical element – as in Llandaf (on the river Taf), Llangefni (on the river Cefni), Llanfaes (in a ‘maes’ – meadow), Llangoed (in the ‘coed’ – wood), Llanuwchllyn (uwch – above, llyn – lake), Llanfynydd (on a ‘mynydd’ mountain), Llangwm (in a ‘cwm’ – valley).
Some names include a number rather than the name of one saint – Llantrisant (three saints), Llanddeusant (two saints), Llanpumpsaint (five saints).
The next time you’re travelling around Wales perhaps you can work out the meaning of the ‘llan’ villages through which you drive.
Next month: Aber, Bryn, Cwm, Pont.
Ann M. Jones