Description of original Database Tables and Structure

It is not necessary to read this to use the database. See Field List Help for information on what each field contains.

Topname - This contains the Headword (Topname) of a particular place-name. This table records the location of the name (if known) - NGR, Altitude and Civil Parish and Mapsheet. Discussion about the Topname/Headword and its elements can be recorded in the Text memo file.

Structure for table Topname.dbf

Field Name Type Width
PRN Numeric 6
TOPNAME Character 40
NGR Character 10
ALTITUDE Numeric 10
ADLINK Character 12
TEXT Memo 10
MAPSHEET Character 4
** Total ** 93

Names This table records the early forms of a particular place-name known (or in some cases believed) to be associated with a particular Topname/Headword. It is a 'child' table of Topname.

The Name field contains the historic place-name form, followed by the Date of the document that contains the particular place-name form. This is followed by SCODE which is an abbreviated form for the bibliographical or MS reference (e.g. BBSD, Carm. Charters, Dolaucothi). This SCODE is in turn linked to another Table called SOURCE which holds the full reference:

Structure for table: Names.dbf

Field Name Type Width
PRN Numeric 6
NAME Character 40
SCODE Character 15
SOURCEDATA Character 20
** Total ** 81

Source This table holds full reference information for bibliographical or manuscript sources. When a place-name form is recorded from a MS, only an abbreviated form is recorded in the NAMES table (in the SCODE field and the MS reference number in SOURCEDATA). The Source Table contains the following fields and what they might contain are:

SCODE: (linking field to Names.dbf via Scode)

SOURCE: The actual MS Collection name (or book title and edition if from a printed source)

Location: the repository name (e.g. Public Record Office)

Author_ed: The Names(s) of the author or Editor.

Structure for table: c:\foxprow\carms\data\source.dbf

Field Name Type Width
SCODE Character 15
SOURCE Character 100
LOCATION Character 20
AUTHOR_ED Character 25
** Total ** 161

Admin This table contains information of the Administrative divisions within which a particular place-name form is located. For the moment the structure is:

Structure of admin.dbf links to Topname via Adlink

   Field Name Type Width
   ADLINK Character 12
   LOCALITY Character 30
   PARISH Character 80
   COMMUNITY Character 20
   COUNTY Character    4
   ** Total ** 147

In the future, the number and function of fields in this table will need to reflect the historic nature and names of administrative divisions of the area or country being recorded. The main concept is that the smallest identifiable unit that has complete coverage of the area is that which is used for the ADLINK field. In Wales this is the Parish (in Carmarthenshire the civil parish recorded on the first 1:25,000 map). Although sub divisions of Parishes (Townships/Hamlets) exist in Wales these do not exist uniformly throughout the Principality so cannot be used as the prime reference. In Ireland the prime administrative unit would be the Townland.

By recording just one unit in the Topname Table (ADLINK reference standing for parish), all larger administrative divisions can be held and recovered from the ADMIN table. In Carmarthenshire a list of abbreviations or mnemonics for each parish were drawn up, so that for example LFR is used for the ADLINK in Topnames. In the ADMIN table this ADLINK is used to link to a record containing:

Locality [not filled in]
Parish Llandeilo Fawr Rural
Community [not filled in, but could be modern unit]
County Carm [for Carmarthenshire]

If a place-name straddles a parish boundary, or has historically been in more than one, then the following is done:

ADLINK LFR;LIE

Parish Llandeilo Fawr Rural;Llandybie