Preserving Pembrokeshire’s Historic Place Names

Historic project to record traditional names of fields, lanes and footpaths handed down over generations A new project to uncover and protect the historic place names of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park – from forgotten fields to little-known lanes – has been launched. Run in partnership with the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales (RCAHMW), the project will gather local knowledge from communities across the Park and record it in the List of Historic Place Names for Wales. A series of workshops will take place during 2026, offering residents the chance to share names that have been passed down through generations – including those of fields, footpaths, buildings and lanes. All the information will be gathered by Dr James January- McCann, Place Names Officer at the RCAHMW, and added to the List – helping to safeguard this knowledge for future generations. Pembrokeshire has a rich linguistic heritage, shaped by Welsh, English, Nordic and Flemish influences. By recording this information before it is lost, the project will not only protect local history, but may also support landowners, communities and the Park Authority in land management and future projects. Tomos Jones, the Park Authority’s Community Archaeologist, said: “This is a fantastic project that empowers local communities to come forward with their place names knowledge. “The information can then better inform our understanding of the National Park area and help us develop relevant projects.” Dr January-McCann added: “Given Pembrokeshire’s rich linguistic history, this is a brilliant opportunity to discover how strong those influences remain today, and to deepen people’s knowledge of their heritage.”

A series of place name workshops will be held to capture the rich linguistic heritage of Pembrokeshire, such as Carreg Coetan Arrthur With the National Eisteddfod taking place in Pembrokeshire this year, the place names project will use the event as a platform to reach a wider audience – including a dedicated talk during the festival, supported and promoted by the Eisteddfod team. Six community workshops are scheduled for 2026 with the aim of holding more in future years. The first workshop will take place at St Davids City Hall on Wednesday, February 18. Members of the public are invited to drop in at any time between 10am and 4pm to share their information or to come and talk to the team. Subsequent workshops will be promoted via social media and in local communities.

Recording local knowledge

“This is a fantastic project that empowers local communities to come forward with their place names knowledge. “The information can then better inform our understanding of the National Park area and help us develop relevant projects.”

Community place-name workshops