Newidiadau Arolwg Ordnans / Ordnance Survey Changes: Diffwys Criafol - Ysgar

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Diffwys Criafol ac Ysgar

Diffwys Criafol ac Ysgar ar ochr ddwyreiniol Crib Goch.

Rhagymadrodd

Ar 30 Mawrth 2026, derbyniais yr e-bost canlynol gan yr Arolwg Ordnans:

‘We have now heard back from Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri and they have agreed with you on both accounts. I have already asked for our mapping to be updated with the correct position for Ysgar and the addition of Diffwys Criafol. These may take a little time to appear depending on publication schedules but will generally appear on digital products before the printed versions.’

Roedd yr hysbysiad hwn yn ganlyniad i broses ymgynghorol a tystiolaethol rhwng fi, Eilian Williams, Arolwg Ordnans, Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri a Chomisiynydd y Gymraeg; proses a gymerodd chwe mis i’w chwblhau. Yr oedd yn ymwneud â dau enw ucheldirol, Diffwys Criafol ac Ysgar, nad oedd yr Arolwg Ordnans wedi’u cofnodi yn ystod yr arolygon gwreiddiol yn y bedwaredd ganrif ar bymtheg a osododd sylfeini eu mapio Cymraeg.

Yn allweddol i hyn oedd cydweithrediad rhwng finnau a’r diweddar Eilian Williams, cyn-fugail o Nant Peris. Am ddwy flynedd buom yn rhannu ein casgladiau eang o enwau lleoedd ar fynyddoedd Nant Peris; rhai a gasglwyd drwy garedigrwydd a meddylgarwch y gymuned ffermio leol. Yn ddiwyd, bu Eilian mwn cyswllt cyson â hen fugeiliaid y Nant, yn aml gyda lluniau neu restrau hir o gwestiynau yr oeddwn wedi’u paratoi iddo. Cynhaliwyd llawer o’r gwaith hwn yn ystod cyfnod pan oedd Eilian mewn iechyd gwael, ac mae’n haeddu clod sylweddol am ei ymdrechion anflinedig i ddiogelu enwau a threftadaeth ei fro. Roeddwn yn falch o allu rhannu’r newyddion da ynglyn â Diffwys Criafol ag Eilian yn ystod ei wythnosau olaf, a dyma bennill gan ei frawd sy’n crynhoi’r amcanion:   

 

Enwau estron sy’n draed moch

Hyd Fwlch Llanberis dan Grib Goch,

Mapiodd Eilian enw hynafol

Ar fap O.S. ‘Diffwys Criafol.’ 

Elfyn Williams

 

Mae’n bwysig fod gan yr Arolwg Ordnans broses i wirio newidiadau cartograffig, a hyn ar sail tystiolaeth gadarn. Fel arall, mae perygl i bob math o anghywirdebau a ffugenwau ymddangos ar fapiau, gan gyfrannu at erydiad diwylliannol. I wneud hyn yn effeithiol, dylid cynghori unigolion sydd â gwybodaeth arbenigol mewn toponomeg ac sydd hefyd wedi meithrin gwybodaeth leol, gan mor hawdd y gall gwallau godi pan fydd brwdfrydedd yn drech ar gofal dyladwy. Rhaid gwneud pob ymdrech i nodi ffynonellau cyfoes a hanesyddol fel y gellir cynnal gwerthusiad trylwyr i sicrhau bod unrhyw newid yn ddilys, o ran cywirdeb lleoliad a chyfansoddiad yr enw lle.

Mae’r erthygl hon yn cyhoeddi’r dystiolaeth a rennwyd gyda’r Arolwg Ordnans i gyfiawnhau ychwanegu Diffwys Criafol a chywiro lleoliad Ysgar ar eu mapiau.

  

Y Dystiolaeth

Ysgar – Cywiriad Lleoliad Enw Lle

Ychwanegwyd yr enw Ysgar at fapiau graddfa fawr yr Arolwg Ordnans tua 1980, ond yn y fan anghywir, cyfeirnod grid SH 630 556. Y lleoliad cywir yw SH 637 557, fel y dengys Tystiolaeth 1–4 isod.

Ysgar – Tystiolaeth 1

Y cofnod cynharaf a nodwyd ar gyfer yr enw lle Ysgar yw o 1965, fel y nodir yn yr erthygl ‘The Names of Crags in Snowdonia: a First Report – Part 2’ gan J. Neill a R. E. Hughes, The Climbers’ Club Journal, Cyf. XIV, Rhif 3 (Cyfres Newydd). Mae’r erthygl yn cyflwyno canlyniadau ymholiadau enwau lle gan E. Roberts gyda’r bugail lleol K. Griffiths. Mae’r darn isod yn cynnwys cyfeirnod grid a disgrifiad sy’n dangos yn glir fod safle’r Arolwg Ordnans bron hanner milltir i’r gorllewin o’r lleoliad cywir a gofnodwyd yn 1965.

Ffigwr 1 – Detholiad o ‘The Names of Crags in Snowdonia: a First Report – Part 2’ by J. Neill and R. E. Hughes, The Climbers’ Club Journal, 1965.

Ysgar – Tystiolaeth 2

Daw’r ail gofnod o arolwg lleol a gynhaliais yn 2013. Yn ystod yr arolwg hwn, cyfweliwyd y bugail lleol W. O. Griffiths, a nododd fod Ysgar wedi’i leoli yn SH 637 557, sef y grib lydan sy’n codi o’r ardal uwchlaw’r A4086 hyd at bwynt tua SH 636 556 – yn cyd-fynd â Thystiolaeth 1 uchod. Dangosir y lleoliad yn Ffigwr 2, gyda chroes goch yn nodi’r safle anghywir.

Ffigwr 2 – Detholiad o fap 1:25,000 yr Arolwg Ordnans yn arddangos lleoliadau cywir ac anghywir yr enw Ysgar.

Ysgar – Tystiolaeth 3

Daw’r trydydd cofnod o ymdrech gan y bugeiliaid lleol W. A. Williams, K. Griffiths a W. O. Griffiths i gofnodi eu gwybodaeth enwau lle, drwy gymorth J. Ellis, a gyhoeddwyd yn y papur lleol Eco’r Wyddfa (Chwefror 2015, Rhif 429). Cofnodwyd y ffurf ‘Yr Ysgar’, a’r lleoliad yn cyd-fynd â Thystiolaeth 1–2 uchod.

Ysgar – Tystiolaeth 4

Daw’r pedwerydd cofnod o ymholiadau a gynhaliais gyda’r bugail E. Williams yn 2024. Magwyd tad Eilian ar fferm Hafod Gynfor, ac fe oedd yn dal hawliau pori dros y tir dan sylw hyd at y 1960au. Rhoddwyd yr enw fel Ysgar, gyda’r lleoliad yn SH 637 557 – yn gyson â Thystiolaeth 1–3 uchod.

Diffwys Criafol – Ychwanegu Enw

Yr enw lleol am y llethr serth sydd ar hyn o bryd wedi’u labelu fel Ysgar ar fap 1:25,000 yr Arolwg Ordnans yw Diffwys Criafol. Dylai’r enw ymddangos ar ffurf estynedig, gan ei fod yn cyfeirio at ardal gymharol fawr, fel y dangosir yn Ffigwr 3. Dengys Tystiolaeth 5–8 isod ddilysrwydd yr enw.

Ffigwr 3 – Detholiad o fap 1:25,000 yr Arolwg Ordnans yn arddangos lleoliadau cywir yr enwau Ysgar a Diffwys Criafol.

Diffwys Criafol – Tystiolaeth 5

Ymddengys y cofnod cyntaf yn yr ysgrif ‘Taith o Lanberis i Gwmdyli’ gan J. E. Jones (Ioan Gwynant), a gyhoeddwyd yn Yr Herald Cymraeg ar 11 Awst 1914. Rhoddir yr enw yn y ffurf fyrrach Y Diffwys, gyda’i leoliad yn cael ei awgrymu gan drefn yr enwau a restrir: 

‘Clogwyn Mawr y Diffwys, Y Diffwys, Bwlch y Moch, Carreg y Walch.’ 

Mae Clogwyn Mawr y Diffwys yn enw cyfoes ar graig fawr yn rhan uchaf llethrau Diffwys Criafol.

Diffwys Criafol – Tystiolaeth 6

Daw’r ail gofnod o arolwg enwau a gynhaliais yn 2013. Yn ystod yr arolwg hwn, nododd y bugail lleol W. O. Griffiths fod Diffwys Criafol wedi’i leoli yn SH 630 556, yn ffurfio’r llethr serth – yn ddibynnog mewn mannau – rhwng Clogwyn Mawr a llawr Cwm Beudy Mawr. Nododd hefyd fod Clogwyn Mawr a Diffwys Criafol yn uno â’i gilydd. Mae hyn yn cyd-fynd â Thystiolaeth 5.

Diffwys Criafol – Tystiolaeth 7

Daw’r trydydd cofnod o ymdrech gan y bugeiliaid lleol W. A. Williams, K. Griffiths a W. O. Griffiths i gofnodi eu gwybodaeth enwau lle, drwy gymorth J. Ellis, a gyhoeddwyd yn y papur lleol Eco’r Wyddfa (Chwefror 2015, Rhif 429). Cofnodwyd y ffurf ‘Diffwys Creafol’, gyda’r lleoliad yn cyd-fynd â Thystiolaeth 5–6.

Diffwys Criafol – Tystiolaeth 8

Daw’r pedwerydd cofnod o ymholiadau a wneuthais gyda’r bugail E. Williams yn 2024. Rhoddwyd yr enw fel Diffwys Criafol, gyda’r lleoliad yn SH 630 556 – yn gyson â Thystiolaeth 5–7.

 

Achos y Gwall

Priodolir yr achos i’r arweinlyfr dringo Llanberis South (1966) gan P. Crew, dan olygyddiaeth J. Neill, sy’n nodi bod dringfa o’r enw Quartz Rib i’w chael mewn lle o’r enw Ysgar:

‘To the left of Craig Cwm Beudy Mawr and at about the same level, Ysgar, a broken rib of quartz-marked rock, gives a fine route of Moderate grade, the Quartz Rib, 200 feet.’

Mewn gwirionedd, ar Ddiffwys Criafol y mae’r ddringfa Quartz Rib wedi’i leoli. Roedd golygydd yr arweinlyfr yn un o awduron Tystiolaeth 1 uchod, sy’n rhagor o dystiolaeth mai gwall yn yr arweinlyfr yw hon.

 

Safoni

Mae Ysgar yn ffurf lafar – hynny yw, y ffordd y caiff yr enw ei ynganu mewn sgwrs anffurfiol. Ysgair yw’r ffurf Gymraeg safonol, fel y tystir yn Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru.

 

Crynodeb

• Mae’r pedwar cofnod ar gyfer yr enw Ysgar yn gyson o ran lleoliad; gweler Ffigyrau 2–3.
• Mae’r gwall lleoliad ar fapiau’r Arolwg Ordnans yn deillio o gamgymeriad yn yr arweinlyfr dringo Llanberis South gan P. Crew.
• Nid oedd yr enw Ysgar wedi’i gofnodi gan arolygwyr yr Arolwg Ordnans. Ei ymddangosiad cyntaf ar fap yr Arolwg Ordnans oedd ar y gyfres Pathfinder Snowdon & Betws‑y‑Coed, SH 65/75 (tua 1980). Awgryma hyn mai yn y 1970au y cyflwynwyd yr enw i’r Arolwg Ordnans, yn ôl pob tebyg gan ffynhonnell a oedd yn gyfarwydd â’r arweinlyfr dringo anghywir o 1966 neu un o’i olynion.
• Ysgair yw’r ffurf Gymraeg safonol.
• Gellir Arolwg Ordnans ystyried Diffwys Criafol fel yr enw priodol i gymryd lle Ysgar yn y lleoliad dan sylw, fel y dangosir yn Ffigwr 3.

 

Cydnabyddiadau

Diolch o galon i K. Griffiths, W. O. Griffiths a W. A. Williams am sicrhau bod eu gwybodaeth enwau wedi’i chofnodi er mwyn y dyfodol. 

Diolchir hefyd i E. Williams, E. Owain, I. Wyn, N. Jones ac R. Wheldon‑Roberts am eu hymroddiad, eu hannogaeth a’u cefnogaeth.

 

Aled Williams, Mehefin 2026.

 

________________________________________________________________________________

  

Ordnance Survey Changes: 

Diffwys Criafol and Ysgar

Diffwys Criafol and Ysgar on the east side of Crib Goch.

Introduction

On 30 March 2026, I received the following email from Ordnance Survey:

‘We have now heard back from Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri and they have agreed with you on both accounts. I have already asked for our mapping to be updated with the correct position for Ysgar and the addition of Diffwys Criafol. These may take a little time to appear depending on publication schedules but will generally appear on digital products before the printed versions.’

This notification was the outcome of an evidential and consultative process between myself, Eilian Williams, Ordnance Survey, Eryri National Park and the Welsh Language Commissioner, a process that took six months to complete. It concerned two upland place-names, Diffwys Criafol and Ysgar, neither of which had been recorded by Ordnance Survey during the original nineteenth-century surveys that laid the foundations of their Welsh mapping.

These cartographic changes are also the result of a two-year collaboration between myself and the late Eilian Williams, formerly a shepherd from Nant Peris, during which we catalogued the upland place-names of the valley. Together, we pooled our knowledge and worked diligently to establish accurate positions for the large number of place-names we had independently gathered from the local farming community. Much of this work was undertaken during a period when Eilian suffered from ill health, and he deserves considerable credit for his tireless commitment to safeguarding place-names and his unwavering efforts to protect the cultural heritage of his homeland. I was heartened to be able to share with Eilian the good news regarding Diffwys Criafol during his final weeks, and here is a verse composed by his brother that crystalises what was achieved:

 

Enwau estron sy’n draed moch

Hyd Fwlch Llanberis dan Grib Goch,

Mapiodd Eilian enw hynafol

Ar fap O.S. ‘Diffwys Criafol.’ 

Elfyn Williams

 

Cartographic changes are rightly scrutinised by Ordnance Survey, and their appropriateness must be demonstrated by compelling evidence. Without a vetting process, there is potential for all manner of erroneous or invented place-names to appear on maps, each contributing to the cultural erosion of a locality. Such changes are best guided by those with expertise in toponymy who have also acquired local knowledge, since errors are easily introduced when enthusiasm overrides due diligence or when educated guesses are allowed to replace facts. Every effort must be made to identify contemporary and historical sources so that a thorough evaluation can be undertaken to ensure that any change is valid, both in terms of positional accuracy and place-name composition.

This article serves to publish the evidence that was shared with Ordnance Survey to justify the addition of Diffwys Criafol and the positional correction of Ysgar on their mapping.

 

The Evidence

Ysgar – Place-name Positional Correction

The feature-name Ysgar was added to large-scale Ordnance Survey maps circa 1980, but was erroneously applied at grid reference SH 630 556. The correct position is SH 637 557, as demonstrated by Evidence 1-4 below.

Ysgar – Evidence 1

The earliest record identified for the place-name Ysgar dates from 1965, as reported in the article ‘The Names of Crags in Snowdonia: a First Report – Part 2’ by J. Neill and R. E. Hughes, The Climbers’ Club Journal, Vol. XIV. No. 3 (New Series). This article presents the results of place-name enquiries by E. Roberts with local shepherd K. Griffiths. The extract reproduced below includes a grid reference and description that clearly demonstrate that the Ordnance Survey’s mapped position lies nearly half a mile west of the true location recorded in 1965.

Figure 1 – Extract from ‘The Names of Crags in Snowdonia: a First Report – Part 2’ by J. Neill and R. E. Hughes, The Climbers’ Club Journal, 1965.

Ysgar – Evidence 2

The second record derives from a local place-name survey I conducted in 2013. During this survey, I interviewed local shepherd W. O. Griffiths, who informed me that Ysgar is located at grid reference SH 637 557, being the broad ridge that rises from the area above the A4086 road to a point around SH 636 556 – aligning with the position given in Evidence 1 above. The location is shown in Figure 2, with a red cross marking the incorrect position.

Figure 2 – Extract from the Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 map annotated to show the correct and incorrect position of place-name Ysgar.

Ysgar – Evidence 3

The third record comes from an effort by local shepherds W. A. Williams, K. Griffiths and W. O. Griffiths to document their collective place-name knowledge, facilitated by J. Ellis and published in the local newspaper Eco’r Wyddfa (Chwefror 2015, Rhif 429). The form recorded is ‘Yr Ysgar’, and the position given aligns with Evidence 1-2 above.

Ysgar – Evidence 4

The fourth record comes from enquiries I made with E. Williams in 2024, whose father was raised at Hafod Gynfor farm and held grazing rights over the land in question until the 1960s. The name was given as Ysgar, with the position identified as grid reference SH 637 557 – consistent with Evidence 1-3 above.

Diffwys Criafol – Place-name Addition

The true name of the steep hillside currently labelled Ysgar on the Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 map is Diffwys Criafol. This name should appear in an extended form, as it applies to a relatively large area, as shown in Figure 3. The validity of Diffwys Criafol is demonstrated by Evidence 5-8 below.

Figure 3 – Extract from the Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 map annotated to show the correct positions of place-names Ysgar and Diffwys Criafol.

Diffwys Criafol – Evidence 5

The first record appears in an account entitled ‘Taith o Lanberis i Gwmdyli’ by J. E. Jones (Ioan Gwynant), published in Yr Herald Cymraeg on 11 August 1914. The name is given in shortened form, Y Diffwys, with its position implied by the sequence of listed place-names: 

‘Clogwyn Mawr y Diffwys, Y Diffwys, Bwlch y Moch, Carreg y Walch.’ 

Notably, Clogwyn Mawr y Diffwys is an extant name for a large crag situated in the upper part of the Diffwys Criafol hillside.

Diffwys Criafol – Evidence 6

The second record derives from a local place-name survey I conducted in 2013. During this survey, I interviewed local shepherd W. O. Griffiths, who informed me that Diffwys Criafol is located at grid reference SH 630 556, forming the steep – at points precipitous – hillside between the crag of Clogwyn Mawr and the floor of Cwm Beudy Mawr. He also noted that Clogwyn Mawr and Diffwys Criafol were joined. This information accords with that presented in Evidence 5.

Diffwys Criafol – Evidence 7

The third record comes from an effort made by local shepherds W. A. Williams, K. Griffiths and W. O. Griffiths to document their collective place-name knowledge, facilitated by J. Ellis and published in the local newspaper Eco’r Wyddfa (Chwefror 2015, Rhif 429). The form recorded is ‘Diffwys Creafol’, with the position aligning with Evidence 5-6 above.

Diffwys Criafol – Evidence 8

The fourth record comes from enquiries I made with shepherd E. Williams in 2024. The name was given as Diffwys Criafol, with the position identified as grid reference SH 630 556 – consistent with Evidence 5-7 above.

Cause of Error

The cause of the error is attributed to the 1966 Climbers’ Club guide Llanberis South, by P. Crew and edited by J. Neill, which states that a rock-climb called Quartz Rib is found in a place named Ysgar:

‘To the left of Craig Cwm Beudy Mawr and at about the same level, Ysgar, a broken rib of quartz-marked rock, gives a fine route of Moderate grade, the Quartz Rib, 200 feet.’

In fact, the rock-climb Quartz Rib is located on Diffwys Criafol. The editor of the guide was one of the authors of Evidence 1 above, making this a demonstrable misapplication of the name Ysgar.

Standardisation

Ysgar is a colloquial form – that is, the way the name is pronounced in informal speech. Ysgair is the standard modern Welsh form, as attested in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru (A Dictionary of the Welsh Language).

Summary

• All four records identified for the place-name Ysgar are consistent in their geographical positioning; see Figures 2-3.
• The positional error for Ysgar on Ordnance Survey mapping originates from a mistake in the climbing guide Llanberis South by P. Crew, which was subsequently repeated in later climbing literature.
• The place-name Ysgar was not recorded by Ordnance Survey surveyors. Its first appearance on an Ordnance Survey map is in the Pathfinder Series Snowdon & Betws-y-Coed, Sheet SH 65/75 (circa 1980). This suggests that the name was supplied to Ordnance Survey during the 1970s, likely by a source familiar with the erroneous 1966 Climbers’ Club guide Llanberis South or its derivatives.
• Ysgair is the standardised Welsh form.
• Diffwys Criafol may be considered by Ordnance Survey as the appropriate name to replace Ysgar at the location in question, as shown in Figure 3.

 

Acknowledgments

Sincere gratitude is owed to K. Griffiths, W. O. Griffiths, and W. A. Williams for ensuring that their place-name knowledge was recorded for posterity. 

Special thanks are also due to E. Williams, E. Owain, I. Wyn, N. Jones, and R. Wheldon-Roberts for their dedication, encouragement and support.

 

Aled Williams, June 2026.