 The southern half was in Phillack parish until 1935 when Phillack was absorbed into the parish of Hayle.Although 'The Towans' refers to the whole stretch, individual areas of the dunes have their own identities.Those named by Ordnance Survey on its mapping are (from south-west to north-east) Lelant Towans, Hayle Towans, Riviere Towans, Mexico Towans, Common Towans, Phillack Towans, Upton Towans and Gwithian Towans.