Welsh Journals

NOTE ON THE NAMES AND LOCATIONS OF Two GRANGES OF LLANTARNAM ABBEY: MAKENEL (MACHENLLETH) AND TORALD by G.O. OSBORNE AND G.J. HOBBS Medart and Machenlleth The river Ebbw meets its tributary, the Sirhowy, below Crosskeys and hereabouts both valleys are bounded on either side by high hills (fig. 1). The Ebbw valley is bounded to the west by Mynydd-y-lan on which stands Mynyddislwyn church, whereas to the east is Medart Mountain (summit 384m, ST 2350 9290) which also extends down the valley to Risca. No studies have previously been carried out on the place-name Medart. However, the following name-forms have been recorded: Medarth (C14) and (1679)2 Meadarth (1654)3 and Medart (1814)4. Since Medarth appears to be the original form, a derivation from Welsh (g)arth 'hill' might have been anticipated. However, the Vita Sancti Cadoci (Life of St. Cadwg) refers to Medgarth apparently as a personal name, i.e.: 'the court of Medgarth with the homestead of Medgarth' and 'the plain of Medgarth', and the name Medgarth is also mentioned by Doble in his Lives of the Welsh Saints.5 Nothing appears to be known about Medgarth, but this personal name seems to be that from which the name of the local mountain, Medart, appears to have been derived. Medgarth has become Medart, by loss of g, in the same way in which Gwengarth, a name also found in the Vita Cadoci and in the Llandaff Charters, in more modem Welsh becomes Gwengarth (c.f. Llanwenarth). From records of land transactions it appears that near Medart(h) there was once a place described variously as Mechenleth (1679)6 Machenlleth (1679)' Machenlath (1814)8, Machenteth (1654)9, (here i obviously became t) and Mechenhalt (1814).10 Now some of the name-forms are very similar to those of Machynlleth in Montgomery i.e.: Machenleyd (1254)," Maghenlleth (1535)12, (1602)13 and Machenlleth, Machenlet (1610)'4. The accepted derivation of this name is from Welsh Ma 'plain of, 'field of or more probably 'place of and the personal name Cynllaith found also as a river name and the name of a commote in North Wales. It is clear that Machenlleth near Medart has a similar derivation. However, from directions given that 'Medarth lies to the west and 'Tom Barlom's Heath' (i.e. Twyn Barlwn) to the south' it is clear that this Machenlleth was situated in the Cam valley, above Cwmcarn Forest Visitors' Centre.15 A question arising is whether this 'Machenlleth' is a 'transferred' name coming from the place in north Wales (which, incidentally, for a short time from 1404 AD