Season’s Greetings and happy New Year

As it’s nearly Christmas, thoughts are turning towards Bethlehem, and the story of Jesus’ birth. But did you know that there is more than one Bethlehem? Thirty of them appear all across Wales in the List of Historic Welsh Place Names. There should have been room at the inn for Our Lady and Saint Joseph in at least one of them! We’ve also got thirteen Nazareths. The Welsh countryside is full of these Biblical names due to the Methodist denominations naming their chapels after them. Occasionally, the chapel would go on to give its name to the entire village, like Bethesda in Gwynedd.

Season’s Greetings and happy New Year to you all, from all of us here at the List of Historic Welsh Place Names.

12/22/2017