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Town’s Welsh name disputed
12th July 2018

AN HISTORIAN has challenged the proposed Welsh name for a popular seaside town.

The Welsh Language Commissioner has published a list of 3,000 Welsh place names with the standardised Welsh spellings, most of them uncontroversial.
However, one particular standard spelling riled a local historian after the Welsh name for ‘Barmouth’ was listed as ‘Abermo’.

Hugh Griffith Roberts, a well-known source of local history in the area, wrote to the Welsh Language Commissioner to complain about the spelling as he believed it should be ‘Abermawddach’ or ‘Abermaw’ as it has been known historically.

He suggests that ‘Abermaw’ has been the given name of the area since the days of Dafydd ap Gwilym, as seen in his poem ‘Maddeuant’ which was released around 1330.

He also suggests that changing the spelling to ‘Abermo’ would be the equivalent of renaming Aberystwyth as Aberyst or Aberhonddu as Aberhon.

‘Abermo’ has subsequently been withdrawn from the definitive place names list for future consideration.

Manon Davies, who was involved in constructing the list of standardised place names, explained in an email to Mr Roberts (translated from Welsh) that the Welsh Language Commissioner was merely acting on the information they had already received.

“Local authorities are ultimately responsible to decide which place-names forms they use, but the commissioner’s aim is to work with local authorities, the Welsh Government and Ordnance Survey to ensure consistency, accuracy of historiography and accuracy through Wales,” she wrote.

“The Welsh form of Barmouth is difficult, as the number of possible variations shows: Abermo/Abermaw/Y Bermo/Bermo/Abermawddach.

“The aim of standardising place names is to form one form as a standard form for public administration while recognising the importance of keeping the variations as local forms."

…courtesy of a 0.75 pence Cambrian Coast evening rover…

This was being disputed in 2018, when the Welsh Language Commissioner chose Abermo, according to this from the Cambrian News (https://www.cambrian-news.co.uk/news/towns-welsh-name-disputed-100821).

Less than a penny for an evening rover seems astonishingly cheap. And with the farthing change, presumably you’d be off to the Palace Theatre to see George Formby, whilst chomping your way through three stone of monkey nuts?

They don’t know they’re born today…

Also, Barmouth... does anyone recall the distinctive short stretch of track at the south end of the station, the track underlaid by an inverted brick arch? Never did find out what that was about, nor have I ever seen a photo of it. And didn't take one myself.

Mark

There are many others where the difference is just a letter or two ...

Just one letter can make all the difference, indeed.

My own local station caught Michael Portillo out when he referred to us as Nailsea & Blackwell, when he visited Tyntesfield on one of his railway excursions.  ::)

This week the trains were well used, especially the school time services which were standing room only from Tywyn to Barmouth. 

Well you can imagine how amusing we find it here when outsiders unwittingly add an ‘L’ to to Montpelier, making ‘Montpellier’. You wouldn’t think we’d be able to tell by ear, but we can.