Sugar Loaf Mountain

Near Abergavenny in South Wales there is a mountain called the Sugar Loaf (illustrated above).  It is widely believed that it got its name because it looks like a pile of sugar.

However, before the twentieth century, refined sugar was sold in a heaped concial shape called a sugarloaf.  Many mountains around the world now bear this name, due to their similarity with this moulded shape of sugar.  Probably one of the most famous is the Sugar Loaf mountain in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, an imposing landmark and popular tourist attraction. (see right)  Since 1912, tourists can ride a cable car to the top, as seen in the James Bond film Moonraker.

The mountain in Rio de Janeiro has had several names, depneding on who was in control of the territory at the time.  Oringally, it was called Pau-nh-Acqua, then the French colonists name it Pot de Beurre, the Portunguese invaders, Pao de Assucar (Bread of Sugar), the French re-invaders Pot de Sucre.  By the seventeenth century, it became Pao de Acucar when the Portuguese returned and thus it has stayed.  The Sugar Loaf mountain is named because sugar cane was a primary export of the region.

It is interesting to compare the two mountains.  Neither resemble the other, yet both are called the Sugar Loaf.  I wonder how many others have the same name, and whether they are similar to the conical shape, like in Rio de Janeiro, or more hke the pile of sugar shaped mountain in Abergavenny.  This latter is now owned by the National Trust, and rising to 596m (1955ft) above sea level, is a favourite destination for walkers.

Sources:
Facts and History of Sugar Loaf, Pao de Acucar (not known) [online], Copacabana.info.  Available from: http://www.copacabana.info/history-of-sugar-loaf.html (Accessed 23rd May 2011).
Rapado, Keith (2002, rev. 2009) The Sugar Loaf, [online], Brecon Beacons National Park.  Available from: http://www.brecon-beacons.com/The-Sugar-Loaf.htm (Accessed 23rd May 2011).
Images:
Pao de Acucar or Sugar Loaf (2009) [online], http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.travelstripe.com/images/rio-de-janeiro-sugar-loaf1.JPG&imgrefurl=http://www.travelstripe.com/sugar-loaf-rio-de-janeiro/&usg=__NPlZOKLzwyXssDCR3GFfKyVBAKY=&h=2304&w=3072&sz=3138&hl=en&start=14&zoom=1&itbs=1&tbnid=rkkTVCko86FmlM:&tbnh=113&tbnw=150&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dsugarloaf%2Brio%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1003%26bih%3D619%26gbv%3D2%26tbm%3Disch&ei=NrzaTbGsCNKBhQe0l9XMBg (Accessed 23rd May 2011).
The Sugar Loaf Mountain (no date) Philip Veale, [online], http://www3.clikpic.com/philipveale/images/Mis009.jpg (Accessed 23rd May 2011).



Juliana 

Cumberbatch

I like to discover unusual names, and Benedict Cumberbatch, star of the new BBC series Sherlock, has one of the best I've come across in a while.  When he appeared on Alan Carr's chat show Chatty Man recently, they discussed his name, and Benedict admitted to being teased about his surname.

This led me to wondering: what did Cumberbatch mean?  Where did this name come from?

There is a village near Chester named Comberbach which is found on one of John Speede's maps from 1610.  It is located in a hollow near a brook.  This name is a literal description, as comber or cumber means dweller in a valley.  A combe is a small valley, much like cwm is in Wales.  There are other, more well-known combes in the UK - such as Ilfracombe and Babbacombe in Devon, Castle Combe in Dorset, etc.  Bach or batch means dweller near a stream.  The word comes from the Old English bache or baece.  So the name Cumberbatch means dweller in a valley near a stream.  Hardly likely to apply to Benedict Cumberbatch today, though.

The earliest known reference to a man named Cumber is in Sussex in 1332, before that a William le Combere was mentioned in Cambridgeshire in 1260.  Batch, however, appears even earlier, as de Bache in 1212 in Lincolnshire.

So Benedict Cumberbatch may have a very unusual name, one that got him teased as a child, but it has a long history and one he should be proud to own.

Sources:
Cumberbatch, Robert (2010) Cumberbatch Surname Origin [online] www.cumberbatch.org/Surname%20Origin.htm (Accessed 29 January 2011).
Reaney, P.H. (1997) A Dictionary of English Surnames, rev 3rd ed., Oxford University Press.
Images:
Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock (2010) [online] BBC publicity photo (Accessed 17 February 2011). 


Juliana

Saint Dwynwen

We're coming up to Saint Valentine's Day on the 14th February.  You all know about him, so I want to introduce you to his Welsh rival, Saint Dwynwen.

This 5th century saint, like many female saints, had a problem with a man.  Although she was in love with Prince Maelon Dafodrill, when he tried to seduce her she rejected his advances and he attacked her.  Very upset, she prayed to God for her love for Maelon to be erased.  She was given a sweet potion to drink and all her hurt and anguish disappeared and Maelon was turned into a block of ice.  She then asked for and was granted three wishes - that Maelon was made whole again; to be allowed to remain celibate for the rest of her life; and to be able to intercede on behalf of other lovers.

Saint Dwynwen's Well and the ruins of her church are found on Llanddwyn Island, a peninsula off the South West corner of Anglesey.  It was a popular place of pilgrimage in the Middle Ages.  A cross was erected in the early 20th century and her cult was revived, with special events held all over Wales on the 25th January, Saint Dwynwen's Day.  Besides curing people with aching bones and lung disease, the waters from the well are also believed to foretell lovers' fortunes.  Apparently, one should place a hankerchief on the surface of the water and watch and wait for the eels that live in the well.  Their movements will give clues to the lovers' fate.  Another ritual for lovers is to stick pins in a cork and throw it into the well as they make a wish.  Quite what the eels think of this, I don't know.

Llanddwyn is now part of the National Nature Reserve with fantastic views and wildlife.  Lovers still make the pilgrimage to the Holy Well to get Saint Dwynwen's advice and blessing.  So if you want to do something special with your loved one this year, take a trip to Llanddwyn Island, enjoy the solitude and scenery.  And maybe Saint Dwynwen will smile upon you.

Sources:
Stevens, Catrin (2005) Santes Dwynwen/Saint Dwynwen, Gwasg Gomer, Llandysul, Ceredigion.

Images:
Saint Dwynwen (date unknown) [online] http://www.anglesey-hidden-gem.com/st-dwynwen-day.html (Accessed 11 February 2011).

Bethlehem

Did you know that Bethlehem can be found in the UK?

Near Llandeilo in Carmarthenshire is a village called Bethlehem.  It has a great Christmas fayre, with nativity plays and tableaux, crafts stalls and Christmas decorations.  Many people travel there every year to post their Christmas cards.  The tiny part-time Post Office has to open long hours during December in order to meet this high demand.

So next year, why not take a trip to West Wales, and amaze all your friends and family with Christmas cards postmarked Bethlehem...

Images:
Seren Bethlehem (2009) [online], http://www.s4c.co.uk/dysgwyr/rhaglen/seren-bethlehem (Accessed 5th January 2011). 



Juliana

River Avon - so good they named it twice

Tautology is the needless repetition of a concept in a word or phrase. For example : a beginner who has just started (you can't be a beginner if you've been doing something for a long time).

Tautology happens frequently in place names when languages are mixed. In this blog I'm going to have a look at some of the more interesting examples that can be found all over the world, but I thought we'd start close to home with the River Avon. There are actually a number of River Avons in Britain and they basically mean River River. The word Avon comes from the Welsh word Afon, meaning river, which itself most likely origates from the Celtic word Abona, also meaning river.

Sources:
http://www.worldlingo.com/ma/enwiki/en/River_Avon,_Bristol
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=Avon

Von

Llandudno

That Saint Tudno was a busy bloke, and well travelled too!  Not only did he have a town named after him in North Wales, but there's a place near Cape Town in South Africa that bears his name.

In 1903 a Mrs Wege, wife of one of the VIPs in the newly created township in Kleinkommetjie Bay near Cape Town, realised the striking similarity between her new home town and Llandudno in North Wales (having just been on holiday there), so suggested that the new town be named Llandudno after the Welsh original.  Like Llandudno's Great Orme and Little Orme in North Wales, the South African Llandudno has rocky outcrops either side of the bay.

Today, Llandudno, South Africa, is a popular holiday destination for the inhabitants of Cape Town as it's only a few hours away, with it's pretty beach and unspoiled countryside.  The town is still small, and has no retail outlets and no street lamps.  But unlike Llandudno, North Wales, I doubt you can have a tour around the rocky promontory in a 1960s British Leyland bus.

Sources:

Maude, Sue (2003) 'Early History', Llandudno.  Available from: http://www.llandudno.co.za/area-guide/llandudno-history/early-history.html (Accessed 3rd January 2011).

Images:

1960s British Leyland Tour Bus at Llandudno (2010), blogger's own.

Juliana