Standard Welsh Place-names
Notes
This is the form recommended in the national standard reference work, A Gazetteer of Welsh Place-Names (University of Wales Press, 1967). One should not deviate from its recommendations without good reason.
The letter v is not part of the Welsh alphabet. Afon is a Welsh word (W. for river) and it is never spelled with a v today.
If the difference between the ‘Welsh form’ and the 'English form’ consists of only one or two letters, the use of a single form is recommended, with preference being given to the ‘Welsh form’. This accords with the recommendations of the Ordnance Survey and the Highway Authorities.
The form Blaenafon would ideally be the only form used in both Welsh and English, as it is a Welsh name and the ‘English form’ represents a non-standard spelling. It should be noted, however, that the form Blaenavon is commonly used, and that the local authority uses both forms in official contexts.
