167 



The paper read by Dr. Bull has elicited the following correspondence : — 



Sir, — There are so manv errors in the paper read by Dr. Bull before the above-named Club 

 last week, that it seems a pity that they should go uncorrected. 



Leaving the Pandy station midway between Pandy Inn and Trewyn Avenue we come to the 

 Pandy, the old house from which the di-trict is now called. Alt-ar-ynys Cthe hornestead of the 

 well-known Jihn Rojers,) means " the hill s'de over the island." One of my friends, a good 

 philolosist, tells me that undoubtedly Trewyn —Tre-i;\vyn— means White House. On the other 

 bank, Tre-feiw — Birch House, from the fact that the locality abounds in birch trees. 



Cwmyoy is undoubtedly a corruption of Cwmyw— Yew-tree valley, which trees are plenti- 

 fully scattered all over the valley. Many Welsh words in this district have been shameluUy 

 altered through the spite or ignorance of the English. Martyn Scudamore, Seneschal of John 

 Arnold, Lord of the Manors of Cwmyoy, Llanthony, and Old Castle, whos» Court Lest Rolls for 

 a portion of the seventeenth century are in my possession, actually spells Capel-y-Fyn as Chaple- 

 y-ffeene. 



By-the-bye, the well, pump, and house at Croes Llwj'd were constructed by Mrs. Rosher, 

 late of Trewyn, now of Glanhonddu, and named by her Traws-Llw>-d— Grey Cross— Croes Llwyd. 



With respect to Trewyn, before the Delahays, the Manor of Trewyn, or Winstone,* was held 

 by the Winstones, under the Lords of .\bergavenny, Lords of the Welsh NLarches. The rent men- 

 tioned in Dr. Bull's paper is merely the manorial fees. Trew\-n became the property of the Rosher 

 family, of Kent, by the marriage of Mr. Rosher, great-grandfather of the pre.sent Mr. J. Lilburn 

 Rosher, with Mrs. Shaw, nee Eversham, h'iress of I rewyn and widow of Mr. Shaw, son of Capt. 

 Shaw, of Pen-bidwal. About nine years ago a portion of a bone, discovered in an e.'jcavation at 

 Trewyn, was taken to Dr. Smythe, of Abergavenny, who was of opinion that it was a portion of 

 the hip bone of achild of twelve. The old chapel, dedicated to St. Martyn, and which stood about 

 mid-way be'ween the house and the lime-tree avenue, was destroyed during the end of last century. 

 The old stables were pulled down about seven years ago. The Helena Del.ahay mentioned was a 

 widow who livel in the first part of the sevenieenth centur>'. Originally the front door was entered 

 by a flight of steps leading from the road by the side of the house wall to the door. About the 

 end of the last century they were removed and placed in their present position. 



EDWIN A. ELY, B.A. 

 Bwlch-Trewyn, Abergavenny, May 28th, 1884. 



Reply to the above letter. 



Sir, -As Dr. Bull said in the excellent paper read by him on the Black Mountain, on the 

 15th ult. : " Welsh names are always descriptive, often historical, and sometimes highly poetical 

 and suggestive." Ever^'onc who knows anything about Welsh place-names will most readily endorse 

 the Doctor's remurKs. The ancient Britons, when even in an uncivilised state, oftentimes gave both 

 to localities and persons graphic and highly-poetical names, evidently originating in impressions 

 made upon the eye and mind. 



My friend and neighbour, the Rev. E. A. Ely, pointed out in last week's Hrreford Times a 

 few errors in Dr. Bull's paper. I am sorry I cannot accept more than one of Mr. Ely's corrections, 

 as far as Welsh etymology is concerned. 



There are several derivations given to Alterynys, but I believe the right one is the one given 

 by Mr. Ely. The component parts are correctly given, but I beg to differ from him as to the 

 meaning of the word .\llt (not .Alt). Allt in South Wales invariably means a wood, or forest of 

 trees ; but in North Wales it olten means a hill or an ele 'ation. We have Allt sometimes 

 used as a prefi.x, and sometimes as an af!i.v, in the formation of Welsh place-names. " Allt-y-carn" 

 —wood of the deer. " Dan-yr-allt "—below the wood. " Gwar-yr-allt " above or over the wood. 

 " Pen-yr-allt "- the top of the wood. Allt-yr-ynys or, to give the name in its uncontracted form, 

 Allt-ar-yr-ynys. means undoubtedly the wood overlooking the island (ynys). It is probable that a 

 portion ol Alterynys farm was, at one time, covered with trees, especially that part facing the 

 river .Monnow, while the land on the banks of the river, or near the river, was clear, forming a 

 long island ; hence the wood above this island was called " Allt-ar-ynys." 



Trewyn, in my opinion does not mean white house. Tygwyn we always call a white house. 

 "Tre," when applied to a homestead, is contracted from " Cartref,"— which means home— first 

 into "tref" and again into "tre" when the word that follows begins with a consonant. "Tre, ' 

 when applied to a homestead, never means a mere house or building, but it always implies an iii- 

 habitant— the home of some person or persons. My belief is that Trewyn means Wyn or Win's 

 home, and Mr. Ely's letter has confirmed me in this belief. He savs that a family of Winstones 

 held Trewyn under the Lord of the WeUh Marches, before the Delahays. Nr.w, the Welsh word 

 for Winston is Trewin, or Trewyn, as the name is sp»lt now. I may be allowed to remark here 

 that "i" and "y" were used interchangedly by old Welsh writers. 



In the old deeds the manor is called the Manor of Winstone, or Trewyn. 



