Appeal to save historic field names before they disappear

Local residents, farmers and people with links to the Gregynog estate are being invited to share their knowledge of historic Welsh field and place names before they are lost from living memory.

Gregynog Hall, near Newtown, will host a free drop-in event on Thursday, November 12, giving people the chance to record names from across the estate and surrounding countryside.

The bilingual session, organised in partnership with the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales, will run from 1pm to 7pm.

The information gathered will help add unrecorded names to the List of Historic Place Names of Wales, a national archive which already contains more than 725,000 entries.

Historic field and place names can offer an insight into the social, agricultural and linguistic history of an area. Many have been passed down through generations of local families but risk disappearing if they are not recorded.

David Chell, chief executive of Gregynog Hall, said the event was an opportunity for the community to help preserve an important part of the area's heritage.

He said: "Gregynog’s landscape is steeped in history and so much of its story lives in the everyday language of the people who have worked and lived on this land.

"This event is a wonderful opportunity for our community to come together to ensure these local names are preserved for generations to come."

James January-McCann, place names officer at the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales, said preserving the names would help people understand more about their local landscape and history.

Visitors can drop in at any time during the session and are welcome to bring old estate maps, land deeds or other documents. However, organisers say spoken memories and local knowledge are equally valuable.

The event is free to attend, although parking charges apply.

It has been supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund through Gregynog's Raise the Roof! appeal, which is helping to progress a conservation project, including essential repairs to the Grade II*-listed hall's roof.

Standfirst: Residents and farmers are being asked to share their knowledge at a free event to help preserve historic names from across the Gregynog estate and surrounding countryside.