Welsh Journals

'(1.11): Ryddnant with Rhudd nant (2.98); Epint with Mynydd Epynt et al., although not conclusive, strongly suggest that some of the content of this poem could refer to people and places of Breconshire. Such cases will be discussed in detail throughout the study. A. R. Thomas (Bull. XXIV, III) is of the opinion that in the Welsh-speaking rural areas-and until recent times Breconshire was such-the naming of fields, farms and villages can be assumed in general to have been completed by the six- teenth century. Therefore, the distribution of long established place-name ele- ments is broadly representative of a period not later than the sixteenth century. This statement holds good for the communities in question as documentary evidence is available showing that the majority of place-names were well estab- lished as long ago as 400 years. Having said this, there is further evidence which shows that several places were re-named in the course of the last century, in particular those associated with the Pen-pont Estate (see 8.17, 27, 28 & 31). This coincides with the growth of this estate and the early decline of the Welsh lang- uage in this particular area. As a result, some of the older, more interesting names have been replaced with one that have an obvious estate bias (cf. Heol-ddu with Pen-y-Parc and Nant Gwrthyd with Cwm Lodge). In the lists that follow, the names are arranged alphabetically and both com- munities and places are allocated a number. For the reason already mentioned, this had produced an anomaly at this stage in that the first community dealt with, Pen-pont, is not first alphabetically in the full list and is numbered 8.0. Subse- quent lists, however, will appear chronologically commencing with Cantref '(1.0). To clarify this, a list of all the communities/parishes in the Hundred, together with their numbering in the complete project, is as follows: 1. Cantref (part) 6. Maes-car 11. Traean-mawr 2. Crai 7. Penderyn 12. Ystradfellte 3. Glyn 8. Pen-pont 13. Ystradgynlais Isaf 4. Glyntawe 9. Senni 14. Ystradgynlais Uchaf 5. Llansbyddyd 10. Traean-glas 15. Ystradgynlais (town) The accompanying map shows the extent of the former Hundred, as defined by Speed, 1610, being the first definitive source to show it following its formation at the Act of Union, 1542, and its relation to the boundaries of the modern com- munities, numbers on the map corresponding to those given above. It should be noted, however, that the boundaries of the Hundred most probably changed during its existence, e.g., on a map dated 1804 in Theophilus Jones's History of the County of Brecknock (1st edition), it contains parts of the parishes of St. David Without and Ysclydach. Apart from a small difference, shown dotted on the map, there is little or no deviation between the Hundred as defined and the correspon- ding limits of the Communities, the main exception being the south-western part of Cantref, most of which lies outside the Hundred and a very small part of Modrydd which protrudes into the Hundred at this point, but need not be treated