Malpas, Flintshire

Description
Malpas, a small town and a township in Cheshire, and a parish partly also in Flintshire. The town stands on an eminence 2 miles N of the boundary with Flintshire, 4 1/2 E of the river Dee, 5 1/2 NW of Whitchurch, and 15 SSE of Chester; commands views over an extensive surrounding country, backed by the boldly picturesque mountains of Wales; took its name from two words which signify " a bad pass ;" was anciently called Depenbach, which also signifies " a bad pass;" had anciently a castle of Hugh Lupus, Earl of Chester, remains of the keep of which adjoin the churchyard; is irregularly built, and consists of four streets diverging from a common centre; is a seat of petty sessions, and has a head post office, and a station 1 1/2 mile NE of the town on the Chester and Shrewsbury section of the L. & N.W.R. It gives the title of Viscount to the Marquis of Cholmondeley. The public hall was erected in 1887 on the site of the old subscription library and reading-room, and includes a library and reading and billiard rooms. The church is partly Decorated but chiefly Perpendicular, comprises nave, aisles, and chancel, includes two highly decorated chapels of the Cholmondeley and the Egerton families enclosed by carved oak screens, has a beautiful E window which was filled with stained glass in 1890 in memorial of Bishop Heber, and has also a massive handsome tower. It was restored in 1841 and again in 1890, and contains stalls, memorial windows, and alabaster tombs, with life-size recumbent figures. There are Congregational, Wesleyan, and Primitive Methodist chapels, and a cemetery with two mortuary chapels. In the centre of the town is a cross of red sandstone erected in 1877 on the site of an ancient market cross. There are almshouses, an endowed grammar and an endowed national school. A weekly market used to be held on Wednesday, but has been discontinued. and the fairs formerly held on 5 April, 26 July, and 8 Dec., have also been discontinued. The township comprises 1988 acres; population, 1164. The manor was given by Hugh Lupus to Robert Fitzhugh, and passed through the Suttons, the St Pierres, and others, to the Drakes, Cholmondeleys, Egertons, and others. The Hall was the seat of the Breretons, and was destroyed by fire in 1760. The parish contains the townships of Agden, Bickerton, Biddey, Bradley, Broxton, Bulkeley, Chidlow, Cholmondeley, Chorlton, Cuddington, Dnckington, Edge, Egerton, Hampton, Larkton, Macefen, Malpas, Newton by Malpas, Oldcastle, Overton, Stockton, Tushingham-with-Grindley, Wigland, and Wychough in Cheshire, and the township of Iscoyd in Flintshire. Acreage, 27,529; population, 5458. It includes the ecclesiastical parishes of Malpas, St Oswald (population, 2422); Bickerton, Holy Trinity (1274); and Tushingham, St Chad (729) in Cheshire; Whitewell, St Mary (420) in Flintshire; Bickley, St Wenefrede (613), is an ecclesiastical parish formed in 1894. The living of Malpas is a rectory in the diocese of Chester, and was formerly divided into two medieties, but the lower mediety was in 1885 divided among the other ecclesiastical parishes. The net value now is £666 with residence. Bishop Dudley, Sharpe the chaplain of a son of James I., Professor Town-son, and Bishop Heber's father were rectors; Bishop Heber himself was a native, and Matthew Henry was born in the vicinity.