A gazetteer of over 1,300 Welsh house-names, comprising notes on the origin and evolution of names.

The Introduction explains that most Welsh house-names are derived from place-names, or are descriptive or embody the concept of home. The major part of this book consists therefore of an alphabetical list of house-names which fit into these three categories, together with a translation into English of their meanings. The names have been derived, as the preface explains, from a wide range of written sources but, first and foremost, collected from the plaques attached to the doors, walls and gates of actual dwellings. The book ends with a brief guide to Welsh pronunciation, a glossary of the components of the names listed and a short bibliography. The compiler occasionally speculates as to why a particular name was chosen; these guesses often seem somewhat fanciful. As is the case in England, names will have been chosen on the basis of a link with a birthplace or a previous house, or because they roughly fit the locality, or because the owners like the sound or associations of the name. Much more significant and interesting than the names in the alphabetical list, are those briefly touched on in the Introduction. The houses named by sea-captains after their ships speak of the heyday of sailing ships built in Wales and manned by Welsh crews involved either in the coastal trade or ocean-going, taking emigrants away from their familiar community to lands of hoped-for opportunity or transporting goods around the world. Shops grandly named London House or The Emporium show that their owners had, or liked to impress on customers they had, all the up-to-date goods in stock. Houses named after famous battles might indicate when they were built but more likely show a liking for an exotic-sounding name. The names of some houses show that they were perhaps once public-houses or even taverns on a pilgrim route. The compiler briefly touches on the problem of house-names which have become corrupted over time, which occurs with place-names too. Discovering what the original name was can be an interesting piece of research. This book is aimed at those with little or no Welsh who would like to know the meanings of the house-names they have noticed. More generally useful might well be a glossary of Welsh place-names and their meanings. A house-name can easily be a matter of whim; place-names in Wales mostly have a topographical significance which can be of real interest to know. -- Sheila Jones @ www.gwales.com