Malpas, Cheshire
Encyclopedia
Malpas is a large village
which used to be a market town
, and it is also a civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester
and the ceremonial county of Cheshire
, England
. The parish lies on the border with Shropshire
and Wales
. The name is from Old French and means bad/poor (mal) and passage/way (pas).
from Bovium (Tilston
) and Mediolanum (Whitchurch
) passes through the village.
and Æthelflæd of Mercia (911-918); they are known to have encouraged the growth of this cult along the Welsh border in places such as Hereford
and Shrewsbury
. This may indicate that Malpas was not a Norman ‘New Town’, but an Anglo-Saxon burh
.
of 1086 as belonging to Robert FitzHugh, Baron of Malpas. Malpas and other holdings were given to his family for defensive services along the Welsh border and as reward for services in the Battle of Hastings
. The Cholmondeley
family who still live locally at Cholmondeley Castle
are reputed to be descended from Robert FitzHugh and the half-sister of William the Conqueror.
A concentrated line of castles protected Cheshire's western border from the Welsh; these included motte-and-bailey
castles at Shotwick
, Dodleston
, Aldford
, Pulford
, Shocklach
, Oldcastle
and Malpas. The earthworks of Malpas Castle are still to be found to the north of St. Oswald's Church
.
Link to Castle site
- Malpas was granted a Market Charter for a weekly market and annual fair in 1281.
The present church was built in the second half of the 14th century on the site of an earlier one, of which nothing remains. However, there is a list of earlier rectors. Extensive alterations were made in the late 15th century. The roof was removed, the side walls reduced in height and rebuilt with the current windows while the nave arcade was raised to its current height.
The town retains its general layout established in the medieval period. A possible reason for Malpas no undergoing intensive development is that Whitchurch
, a major market town, was just 7 km (4.3 mi) away.
, became chamberlain of Chester, and groom of the chamber to Henry VIII
. He was beheaded on 17 May 1536 for a suspected romantic affair with Anne Boleyn
. These accusations may have been politically motivated.
as it controlled the North-South movement of troops from the west of the Pennines
to the east of the Clwydian range - Chester, as the main port to Ireland was supremely important as Charles I
had an army there. Another Sir William Brereton
of Malpas and Shocklach was one of 2 Parliamentarian Generals responsible for the defeat of the Royalist Irish reinforcements at the Battle of Nantwich
in January 1644 and later the siege of Chester, capturing it in February 1646.
or Chester-Whitchurch Branch Line. The station
was closed along with the entire line under the Beeching Axe
in the 1960s.
:
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
which used to be a market town
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
, and it is also a civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester
Cheshire West and Chester
Cheshire West and Chester is a unitary authority area with borough status, in the ceremonial county of Cheshire. It was established in April 2009 as part of the 2009 structural changes to local government in England, by virtue of an order under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health...
and the ceremonial county of Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The parish lies on the border with Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
and Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. The name is from Old French and means bad/poor (mal) and passage/way (pas).
Roman
There is no evidence for Roman settlement in Malpas but it is known that the Roman RoadRoman road
The Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...
from Bovium (Tilston
Tilston
Tilston is a village and a civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. At the 2001 Census, the population was recorded as 627.St Mary's Church, Tilston is a Grade II* listed building....
) and Mediolanum (Whitchurch
Whitchurch, Shropshire
Whitchurch is a market town in Shropshire, England on the border between England and Wales. It is the oldest continuously inhabited town in Shropshire. According to the 2001 Census, the population of the town is 8,673, with a more recent estimate putting the population of the town at 8,934...
) passes through the village.
Mercian
Dedications to St Oswald are thought to be associated with Æthelræd II (879-911), also known as Earl Aethelred of MerciaEarl Aethelred of Mercia
Ealdorman Æthelred was ruler of Mercia from about 883, when he submitted to King Alfred of Wessex. He married Alfred's daughter Æthelfleda between 882 and 887, and his title was "Lord of the Mercians". Although he had many attributes of a king, he was subject to the power of his close ally Wessex...
and Æthelflæd of Mercia (911-918); they are known to have encouraged the growth of this cult along the Welsh border in places such as Hereford
Hereford
Hereford is a cathedral city, civil parish and county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, southwest of Worcester, and northwest of Gloucester...
and Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
. This may indicate that Malpas was not a Norman ‘New Town’, but an Anglo-Saxon burh
Burh
A Burh is an Old English name for a fortified town or other defended site, sometimes centred upon a hill fort though always intended as a place of permanent settlement, its origin was in military defence; "it represented only a stage, though a vitally important one, in the evolution of the...
.
Medieval (Norman 1066–1154)
After the Norman conquest of 1066 Malpas is recorded as being called Depenbech and is mentioned in the Domesday bookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
of 1086 as belonging to Robert FitzHugh, Baron of Malpas. Malpas and other holdings were given to his family for defensive services along the Welsh border and as reward for services in the Battle of Hastings
Battle of Hastings
The Battle of Hastings occurred on 14 October 1066 during the Norman conquest of England, between the Norman-French army of Duke William II of Normandy and the English army under King Harold II...
. The Cholmondeley
Cholmondeley
Cholmondeley can refer to:Places*Cholmondeley, Cheshire, a village in Cheshire*Cholmondeley CastlePeople*Alice Cholmondeley, a pseudonym used by Elizabeth von Arnim for her book Christine*David Cholmondeley, 7th Marquess of Cholmondeley Cholmondeley can refer to:Places*Cholmondeley, Cheshire, a...
family who still live locally at Cholmondeley Castle
Cholmondeley Castle
Cholmondeley Castle is a country house in the civil parish of Cholmondeley, Cheshire, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building. It is surrounded by a estate.-House:...
are reputed to be descended from Robert FitzHugh and the half-sister of William the Conqueror.
A concentrated line of castles protected Cheshire's western border from the Welsh; these included motte-and-bailey
Motte-and-bailey
A motte-and-bailey is a form of castle, with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised earthwork called a motte, accompanied by an enclosed courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade...
castles at Shotwick
Shotwick
Shotwick is a village and civil parish on the Wirral Peninsula in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England...
, Dodleston
Dodleston
Dodleston is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, situated on the border between England and Wales...
, Aldford
Aldford
Aldford is a village and civil parish in the county of Cheshire, England, south of Chester . It has a population of 213.The village lies on the east bank of the River Dee...
, Pulford
Pulford
Pulford is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is situated on the B5445 road, to the south west of Chester and on the border with Wales. It is believed that the name of the village is derived from the...
, Shocklach
Shocklach
Shocklach is a village in the civil parishes of Church Shocklach and Shocklach Oviatt, Cheshire, England.St Edith's Church, Shocklach is a Grade I listed building.-External links:...
, Oldcastle
Oldcastle, Cheshire
Oldcastle is a civil parish in the Borough of Cheshire West and Chester and ceremonial county of Cheshire in England. It has a population of 54.-External links:...
and Malpas. The earthworks of Malpas Castle are still to be found to the north of St. Oswald's Church
Church of Saint Oswald
St Oswald's Church, Malpas stands on the highest point in the market town of Malpas, Cheshire, England, on or near the site of a Norman motte and bailey castle. The church has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building and is recognised as being one of the best examples...
.
Link to Castle site
Medieval (Plantagenet 1154-1485)
Develops significantly around the motte and church and becomes a market townMarket town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
- Malpas was granted a Market Charter for a weekly market and annual fair in 1281.
The present church was built in the second half of the 14th century on the site of an earlier one, of which nothing remains. However, there is a list of earlier rectors. Extensive alterations were made in the late 15th century. The roof was removed, the side walls reduced in height and rebuilt with the current windows while the nave arcade was raised to its current height.
The town retains its general layout established in the medieval period. A possible reason for Malpas no undergoing intensive development is that Whitchurch
Whitchurch, Shropshire
Whitchurch is a market town in Shropshire, England on the border between England and Wales. It is the oldest continuously inhabited town in Shropshire. According to the 2001 Census, the population of the town is 8,673, with a more recent estimate putting the population of the town at 8,934...
, a major market town, was just 7 km (4.3 mi) away.
Tudor - Elizabethan (1485-1603)
The seventh son of Sir Randolph Brereton of Shocklach and Malpas, Sir William BreretonWilliam Brereton (groom)
Sir William Brereton , who came from a Cheshire landowning family, was a Groom of the Privy Chamber of Henry VIII. He was caught up in the accusations against Anne Boleyn, tried for treason and executed with the Queen and four others...
, became chamberlain of Chester, and groom of the chamber to Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
. He was beheaded on 17 May 1536 for a suspected romantic affair with Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn ;c.1501/1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536 as the second wife of Henry VIII of England and Marquess of Pembroke in her own right. Henry's marriage to Anne, and her subsequent execution, made her a key figure in the political and religious upheaval that was the...
. These accusations may have been politically motivated.
Civil War and the Stuarts (1603-1714)
Cheshire was strategically very important during the civil warEnglish Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
as it controlled the North-South movement of troops from the west of the Pennines
Pennines
The Pennines are a low-rising mountain range, separating the North West of England from Yorkshire and the North East.Often described as the "backbone of England", they form a more-or-less continuous range stretching from the Peak District in Derbyshire, around the northern and eastern edges of...
to the east of the Clwydian range - Chester, as the main port to Ireland was supremely important as Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
had an army there. Another Sir William Brereton
Sir William Brereton, 1st Baronet
Sir William Brereton, 1st Baronet was an English writer and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1628 and 1659. He was a commander in the Parliamentary army in the English Civil War....
of Malpas and Shocklach was one of 2 Parliamentarian Generals responsible for the defeat of the Royalist Irish reinforcements at the Battle of Nantwich
Battle of Nantwich
The Battle of Nantwich was fought during the First English Civil War, between the forces of Parliament and of King Charles I, northwest of the town of Nantwich in Cheshire on 25 January 1644...
in January 1644 and later the siege of Chester, capturing it in February 1646.
Second World War
In 1940 during the Second World War, the Czechoslovak Army in exile was encamped in Cholmondeley Park.Transport
The village was once served by the Whitchurch and Tattenhall RailwayWhitchurch and Tattenhall Railway
The Whitchurch and Tattenhall Railway was a railway line in Cheshire, which ran between Whitchurch and Tattenhall, where it joined the North Wales Coast Line at Tattenhall to terminate in Chester. The line connected the small Cheshire Villages of Malpas, Hampton, Edge, Duckington, Broxton, and...
or Chester-Whitchurch Branch Line. The station
Malpas railway station
Malpas railway station was a railway station near to the village of Malpas, Cheshire on the Whitchurch and Tattenhall Railway or Chester-Whitchurch Branch Line...
was closed along with the entire line under the Beeching Axe
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
in the 1960s.
Demography
According to the United Kingdom Census 2001United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
:
- The civil parish has 1,628 residents living in 720 households.
- 64% of residents describe their healthHealthHealth is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...
as good
Religion
- Church of England, see: St Oswald's Church, Malpas
- Roman Catholic Church, St Joseph's Church.
- United Reformed Church, High Street Church.
- Malpas Elim Community Church, www.malpaselimcc.com
Notable people
- Ralph ChurtonRalph ChurtonRalph Churton was an English churchman and academic, archdeacon of St David's and a biographer.-Life:He was born on an estate called the Snabb, in the township of Bickley and parish of Malpas, Cheshire, on 8 December 1754, being the younger of two sons of Thomas Churton and Sarah Clemson...
, Anglican churchman and biographer - Anthony HarveyAnthony HarveyAnthony Harvey is a British filmmaker who started his career in the 1950s as a film editor, and moved into directing in the mid 1960s. Harvey has fifteen film credits as an editor, and he has directed thirteen films...
, filmmaker, has been resident since 1968 - Bishop Reginald HeberReginald HeberReginald Heber was the Church of England's Bishop of Calcutta who is now remembered chiefly as a hymn-writer.-Life:Heber was born at Malpas in Cheshire...
(1783–1826), Bishop of Calcutta and poet - Matthew HenryMatthew HenryMatthew Henry was an English commentator on the Bible and Presbyterian minister.-Life:He was born at Broad Oak, a farmhouse on the borders of Flintshire and Shropshire. His father, Philip Henry, had just been ejected under the Act of Uniformity 1662...
(1662–1714), Presbyterian minister and biblical commentator - Chris StocktonChris StocktonChris Stockton is a British auto racing driver, who is most recently known for his efforts in the British Touring Car Championship. Prior to this he had won 14 Formula Ford races including the Kent Festival at Brands Hatch. He then won 5 races in a full seasons racing in the Legends series,...
, former jockey, owner of rare cattle, BTCC racing driver - Mark Rylands, Present Bishop of Shrewsbury, Malpas resident 1961-1988(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Rylands)
Further reading
- Churton, Ralph (1793) "A memoir of Thomas Townson, D.D., archdeacon of Richmond, and rector of Malpas, Cheshire", prefixed to A Discourse on the Evangelical History from the Interment to the Ascension published after Dr. Townson's death by Dr. John LovedayJohn LovedayDr. John Stephen Loveday is an experimental physicist working in high pressure research. He was educated at Coopers School in Chislehurst and at the University of Bristol. He currently works at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland....
, Oxford, 1793.
External links
- Malpas Community Website which includes history section.
- Malpas Parish Council