Can anyone please explain Abergavenny becoming y Fenni? Why? Isn't Abergavenny Welsh enough? Thought Aber meant estuary? Happy to be proved wrong on any of these.
Wikipedia says: 'The town derives its name from a
Brythonic word
Gobannia meaning "river of the blacksmiths", and relates to the town's pre-Roman importance in iron
smelting. The name is related to the modern Welsh word
gof (
blacksmith), and so is also associated with the Welsh smith
Gofannon from folklore. The river later became, in Welsh,
Gafenni, and the town's name became
Abergafenni, meaning "mouth of (Welsh:
Aber) the Gavenny (
Gafenni)". In Welsh, the shortened form
Y Fenni may have come into use after about the 15th century, and is now used as the Welsh name. Abergavenny, the English spelling, is in general use.
I think that Abergavenny is an anglicisation as -- I'm sure one of Welsh speakers will confirm one way or the other -- there is no letter V in the Welsh alphabet, a single F is used.