Snowdon / Snowdonia

Anniebach neither have I.

Grandma70s

We must have lived not far from each other then, you could see it from my bedroom window!

I asked my mum today about her school days in Wales (born in 1927 so I guess in the Thirties) She said they were actually taught Welsh in primary school, one class a week. Lessons otherwise were in English but Welsh wasn’t banned.

There was one teacher who didn’t speak Welsh and used to shout at them if they used it. Mum said they would get their own back by calling her rude names in the playground in Welsh which of course she didn’t understand - very appealing when you’re eight years old! Mum still remembers her name, Miss Cheetham.

MOnica we haven’t asked that calling it Snowdon be made a criminal offence.

I am more than happy to see all signs in Welsh, maps for sale in Wales etc etc refer to Snowdon by it's Welsh name.

I cannot see why doing that should stop the English still calling it Snowden. Lets face it, maps of Britain printed and circulated in other countries have their versions of our place names on them, not the names we use

And of course the Statute of Kilkenny in 1367 prevented the Irish from speaking their own language.

I have to say, Annie a new name doesn’t bother me. If people want it to be called Yr Wyddfa, I can’t think why it shouldn’t be called that.

The man I heard on Radio 4 the other day seemed eminently sensible about it, he explained some interesting history behind it and said that he understood not everyone would use the version they’re proposing and that was fine, no one would be offended. I also heard that the majority of people in Australia now call Uluru by that name - we can adjust.

Is there still a Lord Snowdon? Will he change his name, too, I wonder?

suzie much is never said of the truth of The United Kingdom, saddens me, we are united yet divided .

SueDonim If it was allowed to return to its correct name it
will always be called Snowdon , but I still support the campaign
to restore the true name.

My Welsh mum says she’s not changing now, after 93 years of calling it Snowdon!

Interestingly, though, when I was telling her about the campaign, I couldn’t remember how to pronounce the words so I began spelling it out and she knew immediately what I was trying to say. Maybe she has a hidden folk memory of the original name.

I just think we need to know about this history of suppression of language and what it said about power and the Union. History matters and as annie showed, people today knew people affected by this. I learned about it from an old Welsh lady over 40 years ago who was still indignant about being punished . I’ll never forget the flash of anger in her eyes.

When I lived in Wirral we had a clear view of Moel Famau in North Wales (it’s visible form Liverpool, too), and it was always called Moel Famau. No English name was ever used, whatever the nationality of the speaker. I’m sure we could all a manage to call Snowdon by its Welsh name.

Thank you suziewoozie. Forgive me for making this personal, my grandfather who was born and brought up on Anglesey was hit with the Welsh Note, his parents only spoke Welsh as did his 4 sisters. He was a lovely man but within him always was a dislike of the English , not an individual but just
‘The English’.

It still flairs up with my grandchildren during the Six Nations Rugby, even the sports commentators refer to the Wales v England games as ‘the old enemies’.

And this ....

Welsh Not
Device to stigmatise and punish children
The Welsh Not (also Welsh Knot, Welsh Note, Welsh Stick, Welsh Lead or Cwstom) was an item used in Welsh schools in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries to stigmatise and punish through flogging children who were heard using the Welsh language.

Typically The Not was a piece of wood, a ruler or a stick, often inscribed with the letters "WN". This was given to the first pupil to be heard speaking Welsh. When another child was heard using Welsh, The Not was taken from its current holder and given to the latest offender. Whoever was in possession of The Not was encouraged to pass it on to any of their Welsh-speaking classmates by informing the teacher that they had caught someone else speaking Welsh. The pupil in possession at the end of the day was subjected to corporal punishment or other penalty (some reports suggest the punishment was administered at the end of the week, or at the end of each lesson). This was to encourage pupils not to speak Welsh.

I prefer the Welsh names

English colonialism

‘With English sovereignty over Wales made official with Henry VIII’s Act of Union in 1536, use of Welsh was largely banned and laws were passed which removed the official status of the Welsh language. This meant people had to speak English to get work and progress. The suppression of the language extended to education too. In parliamentary reports known as The Blue Books it says: ‘The Welsh language is a vast drawback to Wales, and a manifold barrier to the moral progress and commercial prosperity of the people. It is not easy to over-estimate its evil effects… It dissevers the people from intercourse which would greatly advance their civilisation, and bars the access of improving knowledge to their minds.’

Bring it on! Trouble is, my poor DH will never get his tongue around any of that, and he’s Welsh!

Thank you all , they won’t change the name but we who want it
back to its correct name will still campaign.

We did get the road signs changed so ?

I am looking at my map of Gogledd Eryri Snowdonia North as I type it’s so beautiful. I think it’s a Welsh mountain it should be named Welsh.

I agree Pantglas; most of the other Welsh peaks are called by their Welsh names so it makes sense to call Snowdon Yr Wyddfa. A lot (all?) of Scottish mountains only have Gaelic names, after all.

Anniebach

Casdon change Pen y fan ?.

Monica the Welsh were not allowed to call it by its Welsh name same as when the Welsh were not allowed to speak their
own language, nothing to do with the French,

Yes, I think people are completely ignorant to this! I support the change of names back to Welsh

I love Wales (and think I might have lived there 400 years ago).
I've climbed Snowdon and Pen Y Fan and will still love them whatever they are called. Wales has a right to change the name if they wish. I don't mind, whatever.

Is there to be an actual vote on it by the Welsh people or has the decision already been made? I don't mind at all but might take a minute or two to get the new name into my head. I have such a warm glow when I think of Snowdon.

I’m not that bothered - there are so many Welsh mountain names Carneddau, Tryfan, Crib Goch etc that climber get used to seeing in Wales. They’ll get used to seeing/recognising the signage for Yr Wyddfa/Eryri!

They’ll continue to call it what they want anyway!

Casdon change Pen y fan ?.

Monica the Welsh were not allowed to call it by its Welsh name same as when the Welsh were not allowed to speak their
own language, nothing to do with the French,

Yes I am .