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VCH Essex vol. 9, http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=21969: “The name of the Roman town [of Colchester] is uncertain. A 2nd-century inscription refers to 'colonia Victricensis which is at Camulodunum’” Keith -----Original Message----- From: The English Place-Name List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Nick Corbett Sent: 28 January 2014 11:51 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Victory Hills - P.O.W. Hills - PS on Hywel Hills and Danywenallt Isaf, (MON) Hi Everyone, and thanks Richard for comment on Blackwater/Divelish DOR. Speaking of calques, I have now found a non-poetic Danywenallt - Craig Danywenallt and Danywenallt Isaf Farm just S. of Talybont on Usk (MON). (Under)fairlinch does look like a calque of this to me. Belated thanks Keith for comments on Tolkien and PN WOR - guess you're not a fan? Was it you collecting refs. to the plant waybread about 6 months ago? Tolkien used this plant name in LOTR to translate Elvish "lembas" (kind of Kendal mint cake). I'm sure other anoraks will have pointed this out, I didn't dare at the time. Today I'd like to post about Celtic VICTORY HILLS which exist in W., probably in Ireland, and in the Rhineland-Palatinate. This should mean that they once existed in present-day England. Richard Morgan discusses the 3 W. examples (Beddugre Hill RAD, another similar in DNB, another in MER) in his "Study of Radnorshire PNS" p. 89 under Swydd (District) Buddugre. (Gwasg Carreg Gwalch). A form for the RAD one: Buthigfrc (= -fre) 1232 And says: "the poet Prydydd y Moch 1173-1220 mentions Uuddugre lys .. in an ode adressed to Gruffudd ap Cynan... (but we can't be sure which one this is).... meaning roughly "victory hill", "victorious hill"." Xavier Delamarre translates his *boudo-briga "colline de la victoire" in NLC (Errance). This is now Boppert, in SW Germany (former Celtophone area). Duden Geographische Namen in D. says personal name (i.e. Victor's hill), but XD will be right I'm sure. I found Carnew co. Wicklow in Adrian Rooms' Dict. Irish PNs (Appletree Press, Belfast). He says: Carn na bhua - victory cairn. So it may belong here. One can speculate that the ref. is to customs regarding victory trophies, and maybe indeed mustering-places. I've looked in England for one of these hills, but so far haven't found one. St Budeaux DEV (nr Plymouth) is a genuine hagiotoponym, but contains this el. in the form of a pers. name. If you see Neuadd Buddug on a village hall in W, the ref. will be to the Widow of Windsor, not to the Widow of Uenta. I am going to specualte wildly that there may have been a recurrent hill compound meaning PRISON(ER) HILL. This is the established etymology for Cricieth, CRN Kruceith 1235 (14th) "mound of captives" - Owen & Morgan PN Wales Gwasg Gomer My gut feeling is that this will be an older name than Owen & Morgan think (they say ref. to medieval castle). Just to the N. of Aberdyfi (MER) is Foel Caethle, which I've just spotted on the map. One could translate "Prison Place Callow Hill" Caethle - an obsolete/archaic term for prison acc. to the Geiriadur Mawr. I'd like - but I'm probably wrong here - to compare with Gopsall LEI "the only word on record that wd suit is gop, recorded once in a riddle, app. meaning captive, slave" MG/PN Landscape. 2nd el is equiv to Mod Eng hill of course. I couldn't find this name in PN LEI vols I-VII at Brighton Library. (see also XD on *durocatu in his NLC) There are far too many Hywel Hills in W. - now I've got maps - and referring to big hills - for it to be credible that they all contain the personal name. So I feel more confident about my earlier assertion that Crickhowell/Cruchywel may be a W. equiv. of JL's su-uelo-briga (which I misspelt, sorry). I just picked a 1990's reprint of that 1915 PN England/Wales by a Scottish minister - J Johnston maybe - and I see that he was already analysing Crickhowell as "prominent hill" (hy-wel) back then. And I see that I follow in his footsteps too w.r.t to Appledore and Wookey. Thanks for reading this post Cheers Nick