Sir, It was interesting to see the letter from Mr. Roy Lewis with his query about the old name for Caldey. I know he has done much useful research on the history of the North Pembrokeshire coast and off- shore islands, and it is encouraging that he is now extending his interest down here. I can put his mind at rest in this case, however, and tell him not to waste any more time on this one. The name Caldey does indeed mean Cold Island. I have no idea what latter-day linguist could have resurrected this particular romantic old chestnut about the name meaning Island of Spring, which is all so typical of the trivia written about Caldey over the years by those with a propensity for quoting, unchecked and unresearched, from secondary sources. So many of them supported their statements only with such classic phraseology as 'may have been abandoned', 'possibly as a result of', 'possibly meaning', 'may have used', 'may have ended', and so on and so forth ad infinitum. The thought that the name could have meant 'Island of the Spring' was first propounded by the schoolmaster-son of the late Rev. Done Bushel. The family had such an understandable affection for their lovely island that the thought that it could ever have been described as cold would have been anathema to the writer. The current guide from which Mr. Lewis quotes is an attractive little publication, with some delightful pictures and useful information for visitors wishing to explore the various walks, but tells little of the history of Caldey, or where to find such information. No, there was never any Viking presence on Caldey, nor has any of all the archaeological digging over the years ever unearthed a scrap of evidence. The authority in this case has to be that great Pembrokeshire scholar, the late Dr. B. G. Charles. The younger Bushell, amongst others, suggested that the name was a corruption of the Old Norse word 'kelda', meaning a spring or marshy ground, but Dr. Charles points out that, if the original name had contained 'kelda', then the recent and earlier forms would have been 'Celdey'. He dealt with the subject comprehensively in his two works, 'Old Norse relations with Wales', 1934, and 'Non-Celtic place-names in Wales', 1938. Having established that there had been no occupation of the island by the Norsemen, he then showed that the name Cold Island meant in the sense of unwelcoming and inhospitable. Professor Mawer, Director of the Survey of English Place- names, also remained convinced that the meaning of the name was Cold Island, but in the sense of uninhabited, vacant or unattractive. It was the peaceful traders over the subsequent years who gave their alien names to Caldey and the other islands round the Pembrokeshire coast. I know little about the Professor, but I know enough about the reputation, and the respect of scholars world-wide for the work of the late Dr. Charles, to say that anybody presumptuous enough to question his opinion in this field of learning, would be daft enough to try to teach God theology. And I would find that hard to believe of anybody on an island with such a great history of Christian worship and spiritual devotion as Caldey.
Roscoe Howells,
Glan-Y-Môr, Amroth.