Rhos-on-Sea place names

Rhos-on-Sea place names

The name Rhos-on-Sea is a strange amalgam of Welsh and English which has shallow historical roots, compared with Llandrillo-yn-Rhos. Rhos is a common prefix in Welsh placenames, denoting a plain or moor. In medieval times there was a large cantref (an administrative area) called Rhos along the coast east of the river Conwy.

 “Llan” denotes an area of land enclosed by a wall, in which a church was normally the main feature. “Llan” is another common prefix in Wales, and is usually followed by the name of the saint to whom the church is dedicated. The first letter of the saint’s name usually mutates when the name follows Llan, as in Llandrillo – named after St Trillo. The “yn-Rhos” suffix (meaning "in Rhos") distinguishes this Llandrillo from the one in Denbighshire.

The name Rhos-on-Sea borrowed from the Welsh but dispensed with the old Christian connection, perhaps in an effort to make it more appealing to tourists and house hunters.

To hear how to pronounce Llandrillo-yn-Rhos, press play:Or, download mp3 (42KB)