Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Depenbech 1086 DB

• Depenbache, Depinbache 1344 ChGaol

• a burgage (& curtilage) in Depinbeche in (the township of) Malpas' 1346 CholC301,411

• (in) villa de Malpas siue (in villa de) Depenbach(e)' 1469,1473 ib

• Depenbache 1523 Sheaf310

• Malpas 1121–9(1285),1150 Chest 1208–10 Dieul 1225 VR 1260 Court 1285 Chol

• le Malpas 1319 ChRR 1488 MinAcct

• the Malpas 1466 AD 1474,1519 Chol

• Malpas alias Castell Malpas, Malpas alias Castle Malpas 1527,1528 Plea 1592 ChRR

• (de) Malopassu c.1170 Chol 1386 ChRR

• del Malo Passu 1352 ib

• Maupas 1208–29 Dieul 1229–33 Chest 1257 Pat 1653 Sheaf

• le Maupas 1295 Ipm

• Mawpas alias Malpas 1536 ChRR

• Malepes c.1220 Sheaf

• Malepas 1260 Orm2 1327 Cl 1619 Sheaf

• le Malepas 1370 Chol 1379 Orm2

• le Malepace 1384 AddCh

• Melpas 1525 ChRR

• Mallepasse 1548 Pat

Etymology

'The difficult passage', v. mal 2 , pas , cf. Castle Hill infra . The name also occurs at Malpas (Mon.) v. NCPN 239, DEPN s.v. The French name (and its Latin form Malus Passus ) superseded the OE name, 'at the deep valley with a stream in it', from dēop (wk.dat. deopan ) and bece 1 , bæce 1 . Depenbech alludes to the valley and stream of Bradley Brook at Hough Bridge & Hough Fm infra , on the true alignment of the Roman road (v. Stretton 56infra ) between Malpas High Street and Whitchurch Sa. The traverse in the hollow at Hough must have become progressively difficult, whence the p.n. Malpas , for the line of road has been diverted to take Bradley Bridge (109–499460) and only resumes the direct Roman alignment at 118–517435 in Agden township. It may well be that the ancient nucleus of Malpas was towards Hough Fm and Bradley Brook, that Depenbech ought to be identified with Hough, and that the medieval town-site was created by the castle. The route along this Roman road and the proximity of the Welsh frontier would account for the medieval importance of Malpas, which was the seat of one of the barons of the earldom of Chester, with a castle and a toll-passage, and a jurisdiction known as Malpas Hundred, cf. Castle Hill infra , and curia de Malo Passu 1290 Ipm, the barony of Malpas , baronia de Malpas , baron (es ) de (l ) Malpas , the barony of Malopassu , baronia de Malopassu , baron (es ) de (l ) Malopassu 1317 InqAqd, 1347, 1367 BPR, 1421 ChRR, the hundred of Malpas , hundred ' de Malpas , the hundred of Malopassu , hundred ' de Malopassu 1328 Pat, 1329 Plea, 1354, 1360 BPR, 1431 ChRR, v. baronie , hundred , cf. 1supra , Halton Hundred 22. The extent of the hundred appears to be that of the barony, and is described in Orm2 ii 592.