Council told to ask for power to stop Welsh place names being changed to English
Richard Youle, local democracy reporter
A council has been told to ask the Welsh Government for the power to stop Welsh place names from being changed to English.
Cllr Peter Hughes Griffiths, the cabinet member for culture, sport and tourism at Carmarthenshire County Council made the suggestion after councillors agreed that all new house and street names in the county should be in Welsh, councillors have said.
They approved a motion brought by Cllr John James to adopt a policy for new developments.
The motion said the policy would introduce the language to more of the county’s residents, and align with one of the objectives of the Well-being of Future Generations Act.
Cllr Griffiths invited Cllr James to work with him because he said the council already had a naming framework in place.
The framework, said Cllr Hughes Griffiths, had been very successful regarding new streets. But he said council could not legally enforce it.
He recommended that the council asked the relevant minister, Jeremy Miles, and the Welsh Government to give the council statutory enforcement powers.
Cllr Hughes Griffiths also said the council had no power to stop Welsh farm names being changed to English.
‘Rich Roman history’
Cllr Alun Lenny said his Carmarthen patch had a rich Roman history with Welsh names, and that the motion was “an excellent opportunity to put that history literally on a map”.
Deputy leader Mair Stephens said the council also had a draft policy which, if amended, might have an effect on the language enforcement element referred to by Cllr Hughes Griffiths.
Cllr Alan Speake said the changing of names from Welsh to English was “a very, very huge concern”.
Summing up before the vote on the motion, Cllr James said he would liaise with Cllr Hughes Griffiths.
He added: “I think it (the motion) gives people who come into Carmarthenshire the chance to learn Welsh.
“If they put their minds to it, they will get round it.”
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Welsh Labour could protect Welsh placename’s from being butchered, but as usual sit on their hands pondering their bellybutton fluff.
And if any good will come out of any Plaid Cymru/Labour agreement, should be a Welsh Placename Bill of Rights to protect their sanctity and cultural importance.
The power to stop English replacing Welsh IS a power the Senedd has…over to you.
‘Rich Roman history with Welsh place names’, in Camarthen. If two stones are found one placed on top of another then it must be Roman, Saxon or Norman, but never ancient indigenous British. There is evidence emerging that suggests our,’ Romano British ‘, label has been much exaggerated, but that’s another story. The place names of the Cymru literally tell the story of an area over millennia. Then some development gets built and called Bradley Gardens or similar crap of that ilk.
Fully agree the English government are Romancentric along with historians and archaeologists (most) they don’t look at records and dismiss the history of the khumry they are not welsh thats a name that was forced on them again this is a redaction of real history
For the attention of the poster named observer please read this article again and then think.
Hopefully you are now having glimpses of the bigger picture. (Please refer to news archives posts about the renaming of the welsh village of Nelson)
Preserving and using the welsh language in Wales is of great importance, be it place names, street names, house names. every little step helps don’t you agree?
All places names in wales 🏴 must be welsh only not English we in wales 🏴 must stop being little Englanders and be proud to be welsh start fighting for your children and grandchildren future in wales 🏴 it’s time for a new wales 🏴
For too long the conseravarati of Wales has allowed and actively invited anglicised place names, as seen in the shameful endorsement of English only place names in southern Pembrokeshire. These people need to understand that they do not have the right to pursue this agenda either personally or through their local council. Wales is not for those who wish live in Ingerland inside Wales but for the re establishment of the original historic Welsh place names and the rebirth of our glorious country, linguistically and politically.
English language house and farm names should be translated to Welsh. I think legislation may be necessary.
There is a way of preventing this which is already available. Cymdeithas yr Iaith has a scheme called DIOGELWN. Here’s a link to the English version on the Cymdeithas website: https://cymdeithas.cymru/diogelwn-en. Anyone, who is selling a house with a Welsh name, can ask his or her solicitor to download a clause and put it in the sale contract. The clause contains covenants (legal promises) which prohibit a name change.
And rightly so it should be law in wales to ensure English names do not replace welsh names further all place names should be in welsh not english
Da iawn
Psst Nation Cymru – change the name of the river above to Tywi before anyone notices you’ve used the anglicised version….!
We need legislation to stop developers naming their developments with no regard or respect to Welsh History or language. E.g Mulberry Close, Llanarthne.