Welsh location names removed (FOI241121)

This Freedom of Information request asks for a list of traditional and historical Welsh location names that have been removed from our maps

Request for information - Ref no: FOI241221

February 23, 2024

Information request

We received your request on 6/2/24.

We have handled your request under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2000.

A copy of your request is set out in the extract below:

“Could you please provide me with a list of all traditional and historical ‘Welsh’ location names have been removed from your maps in favour of modern names used primarily by English tourists or settlers. I would prefer to receive the response in electronic table format, for all, changes, including, date of change, historical name, modern replacement, and OS reference.”

Our response

This information is not held.

In accordance with our duty under section 16 (Advice and Assistance) of the FOIA, we can provide the following explanation. The information is not held because we do not record the language of the names in our database. Where OS is advised of a name change, we investigate this in line with our naming policies and, where the change is regarded as accepted, it is marked in the database as the "accepted" name. Should the name change from English to Welsh or Welsh to English, then it will still be regarded as “accepted.”

It is therefore not possible to identify place names that have changed to another language. Some names may appear on only some Ordnance Survey mapping due to scale, and not every name recorded by Ordnance Survey will appear on mapping products due to ensuring that they remain readable and useable.

Next steps

Internal review

Your enquiry has been processed according to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2000. If you are unhappy with our response, you may request an internal review with our Internal Review Officer by contacting them, within two months of receipt of our final response to your Freedom of Information (FOI) request, as follows:

Internal Review Officer
Customer Service Centre
Ordnance Survey
Adanac Drive
Southampton
SO16 0AS

Please include the reference number above. You may request an internal review where you believe Ordnance Survey has:

Failed to respond to your request within the time limits (normally 20 working days)
Failed to tell you whether or not we hold the information
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The Internal Review Officer will not have been involved in the original decision. They will conduct an independent internal review and will inform you of the outcome of the review normally within 20 working days, but exceptionally within 40 working days, in line with the Information Commissioner’s guidance.

The Internal Review Officer will either: uphold the original decision, provide an additional explanation of the exemption/s applied or release further information, if it is considered appropriate to do so.

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