ISWE welcomes moves to safeguard historic place names of Wales
Section 34 of the Historic Environment (Wales) Act 2016 established provisions for the compilation and maintenance of a list of historic place names in Wales. In response to this the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales (RCAHMW) has signaled its intent to lead on the creation of place names index, which will draw upon pre-20th century source materials to identify the names held by, or given to, locations and sites across Wales. The index will incorporate various forms and spellings of place names over time.
In addition to building upon the pioneering work of the Melville Richards Place-Name Archive, held by Bangor University, the initiative will also be heavily dependent upon the vast pool of place name data recorded in estate archives, including surveys, maps, deeds and rentals.
ISWE has signaled its intention to work closely with RCAHMW’s new Place Names Officer, and groups such as Cymdeithas Enwau Lleoedd Cymru | Welsh Place-Names Society, to develop the resource, which will play a significant role in safeguarding an important aspect of local heritage across Wales.
Publication date: 22 February 2017