KLGF – Welsh Place-Name Society

A database of historical forms of Flintshire place-names compiled by Ken Lloyd Gruffydd (1939-2015)

Over many years, Ken Lloyd Gruffydd collected thousands of historical forms of place-names in the county as a by-product of his local history projects. These forms became a large part of the source material for Place-Names of Flintshire (Hywel Wyn Owen and Ken Lloyd Gruffydd, University of Wales Press, 2017).

Furthermore, it was agreed that Ken’s database could be used, not only in conjunction with PNF (for the purposes of identifying more obscure sources), but should also become a stand-alone research tool. Further details are available on pages xii-xiii of PNF.

There are several lists in KLGF. List A contains sources and forms mainly for the 800 names which are in PNF (names on the Ordnance Survey’s Landranger maps). The rest are historical forms of names on the more detailed OS Explorer maps, or which cannot currently be located. Frequently, they provide fewer historical forms (because of the lack of evidence), but they are nevertheless valuable for future researchers.

Occasionally, Ken added a comment when he was struck by something during transcription. Everything has been left as it was.

Since the time of his death (two and a half years before publication of PNF), despite a search of his papers, it has not been possible to find a summary list of the documents he used. No doubt such a list exists. However, the database has standard bibliographical references.

All published and unpublished material which draws on this database must be acknowledged.