3. THE MEANING AND DERIVATION OF PLACE-NAMES<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Y BARRI \/ BARRY<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n We know that the name Barri <\/strong><\/em>was in existence before the Twelfth Century because the de Barri <\/strong><\/em>family, the family of the well-known historian and Archdeacon of Brecon, Gerallt Gymro – Giraldus Cambrensis, Gerald the Welshman – who was born in 1146 – took its name from that of the area. Scholars believe that the name Barri is derived from the name of a stream, Barren, <\/strong>which flowed from the Buttrills area down to the sea. It\u2019s possible that the element \u2018bar\u2019 – which means \u2018hilltop\u2019 or \u2018summit\u2019 – is part of the word \u2018Barren\u2019. (Interestingly, this Celtic – or even Brythonic word \u2018bar\u2019 can also be seen in the name Berkshire – which is, as you know, a particularly hilly county.) The name given to the stretch of water between the island and the mainland was Aber Barri <\/strong>– \u2018aber\u2019 meaning \u2018estuary\u2019 in this instance. In Welsh, the definite article (\u2018y\u2019) is used with the name – \u2018Y Barri\u2019 <\/strong>– and this could be a contraction of \u2018aber\u2019 as in Aber Barri – or it was adopted because many other place-names in Wales, which begin with the consonant \u2018b\u2019, are preceded by the definite article – y Bala, y Borth, y Bermo etc. (By the way, this use of the definite article with place -names is not only a Welsh phenomenon as it is common in many other languages – The Hague, Las Vegas, El Salvador, die Schweiz, der Iran and so on.) The spelling \u2018Barry\u2019 with a \u2018y\u2019 is merely the anglicisation of the Welsh name.<\/span><\/p>\n COLD KNAP<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n This name derives from two Old English words. The first element \u2018cold\u2019 developed from the word \u2018col\u2019 which has given us \u2018coal\u2019 today. In the name Cold Knap it refers to coal works or pits in the area. But the reference isn\u2019t to coal – but to charcoal – which was used extensively in the ironwork and smelting processes. The second element, \u2018knap\u2019 is derived from the word \u2018knaepp\u2019 which means \u2018hill\u2019. So, \u2018Cold Knap\u2019 therefore means something like \u2018the hill near the charcoal pits\u2019 or \u2018the charcoal pits near\/on the hill\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n COLCOT<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n There are two elements to this word also – both derived from Old English words. The first element is \u2018Col\u2019, which refers once again to charcoal works <\/strong>in the area. The second element \u2018cot\u2019 is derived from the Old English word meaning \u2018a building for creating or storing craft items\u2019. Where that building was situated is lost in the sands of time, but we know that it was somewhere near charcoal pits.<\/span><\/p>\n Next month – Highlight<\/strong><\/em> and Brynhill<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Ann. M. Jones<\/span><\/p>\n 3. THE MEANING AND DERIVATION OF PLACE-NAMES Y BARRI \/ BARRY We know that the name Barri was in existence before the Twelfth Century because the de Barri family, the family of the well-known historian and Archdeacon of Brecon, Gerallt Gymro – Giraldus Cambrensis, Gerald the Welshman – who was born in 1146 – took its name from that of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[334,228],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6cWjO-39O","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":12022,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=12022","url_meta":{"origin":12140,"position":0},"title":"Place Name History -BRO MORGANNWG","author":"Alan Williams","date":"4th August 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"THE MEANING AND DERIVATION OF PLACE-NAMES BRO MORGANNWG - VALE OF GLAMORGAN There are two patterns in English which convey a Welsh place-name such as Bro Morgannwg - namely \u2018Vale of Glamorgan\u2019 and \u2018Glamorgan Vale\u2019 (cf Ogmore Vale, Ebbw Vale, Merthyr Vale etc). This second pattern is the exact equivalent\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General Interest Articles"","block_context":{"text":"General Interest Articles","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=334"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":16996,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=16996","url_meta":{"origin":12140,"position":1},"title":"What\u2019s In A Name?","author":"Alan Williams","date":"29th May 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"ARTICLES of GENERAL INTEREST WHAT\u2019S IN A NAME? A short time ago Rhun ap Iorwerth was elected as our new First Minister here in Wales. Since then, I have been surprised by the number of people who have contacted me asking me to translate and explain his name! As for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General Interest Articles"","block_context":{"text":"General Interest Articles","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=334"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Rhun.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":12750,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=12750","url_meta":{"origin":12140,"position":2},"title":"Place-Names Derivation – Llwyneliddon \/ St Lythans","author":"Alan Williams","date":"5th January 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"THE DERIVATION AND MEANING OF PLACE-NAMES LLWYNELIDDON \/ ST LYTHANS The Welsh name is made up of two elements - \u2018llwyn\u2019 and \u2018Eliddon\u2019. \u2018Llwyn\u2019 is the Welsh word for \u2018grove\u2019 or \u2018copse\u2019 and the second element \u2018Eliddon\u2019\u2019 is the name of the saint to whom an earlier church was dedicated.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Readers Articles of Interest"","block_context":{"text":"Readers Articles of Interest","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=228"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":11844,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=11844","url_meta":{"origin":12140,"position":3},"title":"The Meaning And Derivation Of Place-Names","author":"Alan Williams","date":"7th July 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"THE MEANING AND DERIVATION OF PLACE-NAMES Many people are fascinated by the meaning and derivation of place-names - so we\u2019ll look at the names that are local to us in this area - before moving on to look at some further afield. The obvious place to start is at our\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General Interest Articles"","block_context":{"text":"General Interest Articles","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=334"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":12644,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=12644","url_meta":{"origin":12140,"position":4},"title":"Place-Names Derivation – Fawr \/ Llantwit Major","author":"Alan Williams","date":"9th December 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"THE DERIVATION AND MEANING OF PLACE-NAMES LLANILLTUD FAWR \/ LLANTWIT MAJOR The name Llanilltud is made up of two elements - \u2018llan\u2019 and \u2018Illtud\u2019 (\u2018Illtyd\u2019). The first element is an old Celtic word, which I will discuss in detail at a later date. Suffice to say at this stage that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General Interest Articles"","block_context":{"text":"General Interest Articles","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=334"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":12366,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=12366","url_meta":{"origin":12140,"position":5},"title":"The Derivation And Meaning Of Place-Names","author":"Alan Williams","date":"13th October 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"THE DERIVATION AND MEANING OF PLACE-NAMES HIGHLIGHT The English name \u2018Highlight\u2019 first appears on maps in the 16th Century - during the reign of Elizabeth 1st - as the name of a farm. Before that time, the name was Welsh - \u2018Uchelolau\u2019. The name \u2018Highlight\u2019 was obviously an attempt at\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General Interest Articles"","block_context":{"text":"General Interest Articles","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=334"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12140"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12140"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12140\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12142,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12140\/revisions\/12142"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12140"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12140"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12140"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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