The various forms of the word are distantly
cognate with
Englishland and lawn and presumably initially denoted a specially cleared and enclosed area of land.[3][4] In
late antiquity it came to be applied particularly to the sanctified land occupied by communities of
Christianconverts. It is part of the name of more than 630 locations in
Wales and nearly all have some connection with a
local patron saint. These were usually the founding saints of the parish,[5] relatives of the ruling families who invaded Wales during the early Middle Ages.[6] The founder of a new llan was obliged to reside at the site and to eat only once a day, each time taking a bit of bread and an egg and drinking only water and milk. This lasted for forty days, Sundays excepted, after which the land was considered sanctified for ever.[5] The typical llan employed or erected a circular or oval embankment with a protective
stockade, surrounded by wooden or stone huts.[7] Unlike
Saxon practice, these establishments were not chapels for the local lords but almost separate tribes, initially some distance away from the
secular community.[8] Over time, however, it became common for prosperous communities to become either
monasteries forbidden to
lay residents or fully secular communities controlled by the local lord.[9]
In the later Middle Ages llan also came to denote entire
parishes, both as an ecclesiastical region and as a subdivision of a
commote or
hundred.
Llanfachreth, Saint Machreth, (derived from the Welsh
soft mutation of that saint's name, and not to be confused with
Llanfachraeth which is from fach, 'small', and (t)raeth, 'beach'
Llanarth, Monmouthshire, from earlier (recorded 12th century) form 'Llangarth', possibly meaning either "church on the ridge of the hill” or “church with a garth (yard)"
Lanfains (
Breton: Lanfeun), Lanfains' name comes from the Breton language « lann » (hermitage) and, it seems, from the Latin « fanum » (temple). Lanfains was situated at the border of the Gallo and Breton languages.
Lamplugh. The second element '-plugh' has been explained as equivalent to Welsh plwyf "parish",[12] or blwch "bare".[11]
The historic name Llan Lleenawc may have been in this region and named after either Laenauc, a father of Guallauc, or *Lennóc, a saint name.[11]
Place-names in areas bordering Cumbria
Lampert,
Northumberland, also spelt Lampart. The second element has been explained as an equivalent of Welsh perth, "hedge, thicket".[11]
In addition, *landā-, the earlier Brittonic word ancestral to llan occurs in
Vindolanda, the name of a Roman fort.[11]
Place names in Scotland
Some place names in
Scotland have
Pictish and Cumbric elements such as
aber- and lhan- (also spelled lum-, lon- and lin-) that are cognate with those in other Brittonic languages. The Gaelic form lann ("enclosure, churchyard") also occurs, and its existence in
Pictland may represent adoption into
Gaelic of the Pictish usage.[13]
Lumphinnans Fife. Its etymology is identical to Lumphinnans above, with which it shares a Gaelic name.
Places with other religious connections
Landis, Kirkcudbrightshire. Uncertain; may be of
Scots origin.[11]
Lincluden, Kirkcudbrightshire. The location of an abbey. The second part of the name refers to the nearby
Cluden Water.[11] The first part could also be lïnn, "pool".[11][14]
Lindores, Fife (Gaelic: Lann Doras). An
abbey is located here. The name may mean "church at the pass".[15]
Longannet,
Fife (Gaelic: Lann na H-Annaide). Occupied by a now-decommissioned power station. The name probably meant "former church enclosure".[16]
Places with no known religious connections
Conland, Fife. Possibly meaning "dog-enclosure" (G conlann, W cwnllan) or "grouping of enclosures" (G cu-lann).[15]
Drumdratland, Fife. Exact etymology unclear, but the first element is likely druim, "a ridge".[15]
Falkland, Fife. The first element in the name is unclear.[15]
Lumquhat, Fife. The name may mean "enclosure of the wild-cats".[15]
Lynchat, Inverness-shire. Meaning "wildcat's enclosure".[1]
Pentland, Midlothian. The first element may be pen ("head", "top") or pant ("hollow").[11]
Pouterlampert, near
Castleton,
Scottish Borders.[11] The -lampert part of the name may share an etymology with the aforementioned Lampart in Northumberland.[11] The first part of the name is *polter, an obscure[11]Brittonic suffix.
In fiction
The long running
Americansoap operaOne Life to Live is set in fictional
Llanview, Pennsylvania, set just outside the city of
Philadelphia. In the fictional universe of the soap, Llanview is the county seat for Llantano County. An important historical estate, Llanfair, is also set in Llanview.
^
abWatson, W.J.; Taylor, Simon (2011). The Celtic Place-Names of Scotland (reprint ed.). Birlinn LTD. p. 387.
ISBN9781906566357.
^A number of placenames now beginning with llan owe their present form to confusion, having originated as glan ("river bank") or nant ("stream,
hollow"). An example is
Llanbradach, which was originally Nant Bradach ("Valley of the Bradach"). An example in Cornish is
Lanteglos, from an original Nanseglos ("Church Valley").
^Oxford English Dictionary, 1st ed.
"land, n.¹". Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1901.
^Oxford English Dictionary, 1st ed.
"laund, n." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1902.
The various forms of the word are distantly
cognate with
Englishland and lawn and presumably initially denoted a specially cleared and enclosed area of land.[3][4] In
late antiquity it came to be applied particularly to the sanctified land occupied by communities of
Christianconverts. It is part of the name of more than 630 locations in
Wales and nearly all have some connection with a
local patron saint. These were usually the founding saints of the parish,[5] relatives of the ruling families who invaded Wales during the early Middle Ages.[6] The founder of a new llan was obliged to reside at the site and to eat only once a day, each time taking a bit of bread and an egg and drinking only water and milk. This lasted for forty days, Sundays excepted, after which the land was considered sanctified for ever.[5] The typical llan employed or erected a circular or oval embankment with a protective
stockade, surrounded by wooden or stone huts.[7] Unlike
Saxon practice, these establishments were not chapels for the local lords but almost separate tribes, initially some distance away from the
secular community.[8] Over time, however, it became common for prosperous communities to become either
monasteries forbidden to
lay residents or fully secular communities controlled by the local lord.[9]
In the later Middle Ages llan also came to denote entire
parishes, both as an ecclesiastical region and as a subdivision of a
commote or
hundred.
Llanfachreth, Saint Machreth, (derived from the Welsh
soft mutation of that saint's name, and not to be confused with
Llanfachraeth which is from fach, 'small', and (t)raeth, 'beach'
Llanarth, Monmouthshire, from earlier (recorded 12th century) form 'Llangarth', possibly meaning either "church on the ridge of the hill” or “church with a garth (yard)"
Lanfains (
Breton: Lanfeun), Lanfains' name comes from the Breton language « lann » (hermitage) and, it seems, from the Latin « fanum » (temple). Lanfains was situated at the border of the Gallo and Breton languages.
Lamplugh. The second element '-plugh' has been explained as equivalent to Welsh plwyf "parish",[12] or blwch "bare".[11]
The historic name Llan Lleenawc may have been in this region and named after either Laenauc, a father of Guallauc, or *Lennóc, a saint name.[11]
Place-names in areas bordering Cumbria
Lampert,
Northumberland, also spelt Lampart. The second element has been explained as an equivalent of Welsh perth, "hedge, thicket".[11]
In addition, *landā-, the earlier Brittonic word ancestral to llan occurs in
Vindolanda, the name of a Roman fort.[11]
Place names in Scotland
Some place names in
Scotland have
Pictish and Cumbric elements such as
aber- and lhan- (also spelled lum-, lon- and lin-) that are cognate with those in other Brittonic languages. The Gaelic form lann ("enclosure, churchyard") also occurs, and its existence in
Pictland may represent adoption into
Gaelic of the Pictish usage.[13]
Lumphinnans Fife. Its etymology is identical to Lumphinnans above, with which it shares a Gaelic name.
Places with other religious connections
Landis, Kirkcudbrightshire. Uncertain; may be of
Scots origin.[11]
Lincluden, Kirkcudbrightshire. The location of an abbey. The second part of the name refers to the nearby
Cluden Water.[11] The first part could also be lïnn, "pool".[11][14]
Lindores, Fife (Gaelic: Lann Doras). An
abbey is located here. The name may mean "church at the pass".[15]
Longannet,
Fife (Gaelic: Lann na H-Annaide). Occupied by a now-decommissioned power station. The name probably meant "former church enclosure".[16]
Places with no known religious connections
Conland, Fife. Possibly meaning "dog-enclosure" (G conlann, W cwnllan) or "grouping of enclosures" (G cu-lann).[15]
Drumdratland, Fife. Exact etymology unclear, but the first element is likely druim, "a ridge".[15]
Falkland, Fife. The first element in the name is unclear.[15]
Lumquhat, Fife. The name may mean "enclosure of the wild-cats".[15]
Lynchat, Inverness-shire. Meaning "wildcat's enclosure".[1]
Pentland, Midlothian. The first element may be pen ("head", "top") or pant ("hollow").[11]
Pouterlampert, near
Castleton,
Scottish Borders.[11] The -lampert part of the name may share an etymology with the aforementioned Lampart in Northumberland.[11] The first part of the name is *polter, an obscure[11]Brittonic suffix.
In fiction
The long running
Americansoap operaOne Life to Live is set in fictional
Llanview, Pennsylvania, set just outside the city of
Philadelphia. In the fictional universe of the soap, Llanview is the county seat for Llantano County. An important historical estate, Llanfair, is also set in Llanview.
^
abWatson, W.J.; Taylor, Simon (2011). The Celtic Place-Names of Scotland (reprint ed.). Birlinn LTD. p. 387.
ISBN9781906566357.
^A number of placenames now beginning with llan owe their present form to confusion, having originated as glan ("river bank") or nant ("stream,
hollow"). An example is
Llanbradach, which was originally Nant Bradach ("Valley of the Bradach"). An example in Cornish is
Lanteglos, from an original Nanseglos ("Church Valley").
^Oxford English Dictionary, 1st ed.
"land, n.¹". Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1901.
^Oxford English Dictionary, 1st ed.
"laund, n." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1902.