Ruthin or Rhuthun, choices choices…
As soon as you’ve crossed the Severn Bridge back into Wales you begin to see Welsh place names appear alongside the English ones on the sign posts. For me, this marks my return home - I like seeing both. However, there is a strong campaign to make changes.
Some place names are so similar in both languages that displaying both seems a little unnecessary. In fact, many of the Welsh variants have become dominant and the ‘English’ variant dropped. As Non Liquet posts in the Rhuthun/Ruthin blog, “…no one spells Dolgellau, as once was the fashion, as ‘Dolgethley’ or ‘Dolgelley’…“.
Non Liquet asks the perfectly reasonable question “why not say cheerio to Ruthin?” and suggests making Rhuthun the “default spelling” of the town’s name.
Interesting stuff and applicable to many towns throughout Wales.
Read all on the Rhuthun/Ruthin blog along with other news from the town.