Welsh Journals

Gaston 1525 Cart 5, 1831. goston 1536 HM 23. Goston 1541 PM 3, 144; 1559 CR 4, 83; 1583 CR 4, 85; 1585-1724 NLW Dunraven 37. Gostonn 1597 Cart 6, 2123. Coston temp.Eliz. Cart 6, 2135; 1599 NLW Hensol 591, 607. Tress 1596-1600 SWMRS 3, 130 (sic. Crd.MS 4.196). Coston, Treos Moor 1631 Arch.Camb.1877, 11. Velin Treos o. Treos Mill 1681-3 NLW Dunraven 124. Gostson 1696 NLW Dunraven 124. Goston 1697 GRO CL Deeds 1/377; 1712 GRO BRA 247/147 (also Goston Mill); 1736, 1791 GRO D/DN 670, 749; 18 cent. PM 4(iii), 53. Treos 1747-8 Jnl.C.M.Hist.Soc. 29, 74. Tre'-Oes 1748-9, Tre-oes 1749-50 Welch Piety (GCH 4, 463). Treves 1750 Howell Harris Itin. (Jnl.CMHS 10, 41). Goston (Village) 1757-8 Welch Piety (GCH 4, 465-6). Goston Treose 1799 Yates (map). Goston and Treose Mill 1825 GRO D/DE 500. Treos or Goston 1833 OS 36. Treos 1833 Top.Dic.2. Treos 1846 Reg.Electors. Treves 1841, 1851 Census. Treos 1885 OS 6". Goston, the 1525 form in -a- being an apparent scribal error in view of the strong supporting evidence for -o-, would appear to have been the original name of a homestead settlement composed of two elements, probably the ME form of OE gõs 'goose' + ton. Locations near or in marshy or watery surroundings in England having names containing OE gos are well evidenced, as in Gosbeck, Gosbrook, Gosford, Gosforth or Gostrode, the latter, in Surrey, having OE strod 'marshy land' (c.f. Stroud) as second element. The location of Goston in the wide and marshy Ewenni valley could not have been dissimilar, cf. Treos Moor 1631 in the list above, Waterton Moor, Morfa Liang rallo, Moor Mill, Ty'r Moor, Ty'n-y- waun (OS 6") in close proximity, and Samuel Lewis's observation that the soil in the parish of Llan-gan was 'subject to inundation' (Top.Dic. s.v.). Such areas were obviously frequented by geese, probably not of the domesticated variety, so that the name may well be that of a homestead on land which was thus characterised rather than a settlement which was, in a more modern sense, exclusively committed to the rearing of geese for domestic