MONMOUTHSHIRE

Y FARTEG VARTEG

Mynydd Farteg Fawr 1954 OS

Varteg Hill ibid

Varteg Hill Colliery ibid

Lower Varteg Colliery ibid

the Varteg Iron Company 1875 OS

Varteg 1875 OS

Mynydd Farteg-fach 1833 OS

Y Farteg (Varteg) is the name of a village and mountain located between Garndiffaith and Blaenafon, Gwent. It previously formed part of the name of a colliery and an iron company. The above forms however, do not reveal much about the place-name’s etymology.

There is another Farteg and Farteg Hill (1947 OS) situated to the east of Ystalyfera in Cwm Tawe. Fortunately, there are earlier and more revealing forms here – vargdeck and yvarchdeg vawr in documents dated between 1528-95.

These forms show that the two elements in Farteg are Welsh ‘march’ (horse) and ‘teg’ (fair, fine, beautiful, warm’). The definite article preceding the name has caused a mutation from marchdeg to y farchdeg.

When march precedes a word it embellishes that word, making it more powerful or larger, e.g. Marchwiail (large sticks, rods) is a place-name near Wrexham; the words marchwellt (big, strong straw) and marchfieri (large brambles) are other examples.

The same occurs with English horse as in horse-radish, horse-mushroom and horse mussel, which are large specimens of those respective items.

Likewise, y farchdeg would describe a very beautiful place. It is no coincidence that both the Farteg place-names are located on hills or mountains, where fine views and scenery would add to the beauty of the place.

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TREDEGAR

Tredegyr 1550; Tredeger 1551; Tredegar 1652. Tredegar Iron Works 1832 OS1”.

TREDEGAR is the name for an early farm and estate located near Newport Gwent, and also for a town in the Sirhywi valley. This farm-name became the name of the prestigious estate acquired by the MORGAN family of TREDEGAR HOUSE and TREDEGAR PARK. Sir Charles Morgan Robinson Morgan was created Baron Tredegar in 1859. In 1800, Samuel Homfray with partners Fothergill and Monkhouse leased some land from the TREDEGAR ESTATE in the Upper SIRHYWI VALLEY some 15 miles north of the Morgan family seat. Homfrey built his iron works there, which he named after the TREDEGAR estate.

The settlement and town established around the iron works also adopted the TREDEGAR name.
[Tredegar, Llangyfelach parish and Tredegar Ironworks, Richmond, Virginnia, USA. are further borrowings]. In 1860 NEW TREDEGAR colliery was opened in the next valley and again the industrial name became the name of the adjoining settlement. Tredegar has on occasions, been erroneously explained as Tref Deg Erw – ten acre town. The elements are Welsh TREF and the personal name TEGYR [lenited to Degyr and changing to Degar in the Gwentian dialect] with an original meaning FARM of TEGYR. TREF initially referred to a farm or estate. It later acquired the meaning of town.
C.f. English 'tun' and 'town' The personal name TEGYR is also found in BOTEGYR [bod & Tegyr], Denbs.
Melville Richards suggests that Tegyr is prob. linked with the 6th cent. Tecorix. I am grateful to Guto Rhys for suggesting a prob. etymology for Tecorix [and ultimately Tegyr] as ‘fair king’. Early forms show that the correct interpretation of TREDEGAR is Welsh TREF and the personal name TEGYR giving an original meaning of TEGYR’S FARM.

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RHISGA (Risca)

Rhisga is etymologically obscure. The early forms are consistently - Risca 1146 (Cartae 1), Risca 1230-40 (EACDWD), Risca 1535 (Gwent Churches), Risca 1600-1700 (Osborne, Gwent Local History). The interpretation is difficult. Osborne and Hobbs, The Place-names of Western Gwent, suggest 'Yr + is + ca'' = the lower field. T. Morgan, Place-names in Wales & Mon, 1887 suggests
1. a root of rhisg 'bark'.
2. Yr hesg gae = the sedge field.
3. is-y-cae = below the field.
4. but favours Yr Isca the Latin form of Yr Wysg [the Usk]. c.f. Carleon = Isca Silurum. Dr. Hywel Wyn Owen in The Place-names of Wales suggests rhisgau, poss. pl. of rhisg 'bark'. Melville Richards in The Readers Digest Complete Atlas of the British Isles suggests 'bank' ,
but I believe that to be a scribal error for 'bark'. Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru gives rhisgl, rhisg, pl. rhisglau
[and I include here HWO poss. pl. rhisgau] = bark, rind or peel of fruit, husk of grain. The suggested pl. form risgau would, in local parlance, i.e. the Gwentian dialect of Welsh, become risga c.f. blodau-bloda, caeau-caea, Blaenau > Blaina, Rasau > Rasa etc. Of these possible etymologies, I would tend to side with T. Morgan 1. A root of rhisg ‘bark’ and Dr. Hywel Wyn Owen risga pl. of risg 'barks', and further suggest it as a name for a place where barks would be gathered as a source of tannin and stored for use in the process of tanning in the preparation of hides.

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