Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Maupas 14th ReadingC(3)

• Mapers Meadow 1840 TA

• Mapus Mead 1843 TA

Etymology

Malpas, Maupas 14thReadingC (3 ), Mapers Meadow 1840TA (Sulham ), Mapus Mead 1843TA . The name occurs in ReadingC (3 ) at f. 158b, where a 14th-cent. hand has written cuius vocatur maupas over a reference to some pasture called Wydemor (infra 223), and has written Carta de morelond et maupas in the margin. It is a French name meaning 'bad passage', v. mal 2 , pas . Other instances are Malpas Ch 4, 38–40, Cu 347, Mon (NCPNW 239), YW 1, 54, 138.DEPN states that there is an example in Co; and one near Bewdley Wo appears on the 1″ map. In the Berks, Cu and Mon names it seems certain that the reference is to marshy ground. To account for the frequent recurrence of the compound, it seems necessary to assume that malpas was a French appellative borrowed by English-speaking people. It is occasionally used with the definite article, cf. le Maupas 1373 YW I, 54, y malpas c. 1566 NCPNW 239, le Malpas c. 1195 Cu 347.