Cylchgronau Cymru

present name of a stream above Carno is a good example of this. In a Charter of Strata Marcella a Nant Hanog is mentioned. This was in the thirteenth century. By the nineteenth century the mention is of a "little brook called Glanhanog" and of Nant Glanhanog. The habitation was called after the stream and then the stream was renamed after the habitation. Before turning to the second group mention should be made of place names which signal the likely presence of a stream. The most common is the ubiquitous aber. Glan (bank) is another common element which indicates a location on a water course, e.g. the many Glanhafren and Glansevern. Glan sometimes appears as Llan or Lan through confusing the mutated forms Ian of both words. Examples are Llanfeiglo, Llaneithion, Lanforda. Other words associated with streams are Ystum, (e.g. Ystum Colwyn), denoting a loop or twist, and Glyn (glen, e.g. Glynhafren). Rhyd (ford) obviously signals the presence of water but seldom does it contain the stream-name. The independent group is more interesting because these names are generally more imagina- tive, varied and older. They can be divided further according to their attribution, commencing with those based on the names of persons. Streams called Cynon, Einion, Gwgan and Gwgi commemorate men who lived in mediaeval or earlier times, while Nant Susan records the name of a person nearer our own days. There are names that may or may not contain personal names e.g. Beiglo, Borthin, Brochan from an early period and Brec, Riccet, Rowley from more recent times. When there is no likely explanation based on existing vocabularies and docu- mentations, there is a tendency and temptation to suggest that the difficult element in the name is the name of a person. A few names allude to historical events. Sometimes the name provides the connection, e.g. Nant y Noddfa connotes the presence of the Knights of Jerusalem in Llanwddyn and Nant y Gwylliaid the exploits of the Red Brigands of Mawddwy. More often there is no clue to actors or period. Such is Cadnant. What battle does it commemorate? ('Cad' here may have another meaning). What deed of vengeance likes behind the name Nant y Ddial? As elsewhere fauna and flora figure prominently in Montgomeryshire stream-names. In Wales animal names are popular as is evident from the list of fifty eight animals listed in E.A. (p. 52) as appearing in stream-names. The following creatures appear in names in the Severn basin. (A question mark indicates that another interpretation of the word is possible). adar, alan? banw, barcud, bele, bran, brithyll, broga(n)? bull, buwch (foel), cad? cath(au), colwyn, caseg defaid eirth (?), ewig geifr, gwibedyn, gwiber hebog, hore, hydd iar, iwrch llewyrn march, moch, myn (nau) nadroedd pry twrch This list does not include animals which appear in associative names such as Nant Llwyn y Llo. Animal names, as would be expected, are common in the names of hills and ravines and such combinations as Nant y Gaseg flowing through Cwm yr Ast are not uncommon.