Early History
The community of Malpas developed near the line of the Roman Road from Deva (Chester) to Mediolanun (Whitchurch and on to Uriconium (Wroxeter), which runs along the present High Street. There is, however, no evidence of any form of settlement dating back to Roman times, although it is suggested that there is a Roman villa under Castle Hill. The name "Malpas" means 'difficult way or passage' referring to the local terrain, a combination of the sandstone outcrops of the Peckforton Hills and the marshy floodplain of the River Dee. The first significant development of Malpas was a Norman motte behind the present church of St Oswald's. This was part of a defensive system designed to protect the farms of South Cheshire from cross border raids William the Conqueror granted the Barony of Malpas to Robert Fitzhugh. After his death it was divided between his two daughters.
The 12th century Malpas Castle may have looked something like the illustration above. The motte (castle) is long gone but the bailey (compound) is where St Oswalds Church now stands. Oswald, to whom the church is dedicated, was King of Northumbria killed in battle against the King of Mercia in 642. The present church was built, on the site of an earlier church, in the 14th century and extensively altered in the late 15th century. The settlement which grew up around this site was sufficient for it to have been granted a charter for an annual fair and a weekly market, for 'bread, ale, flesh and small victuals'. Malpas would have been a centre for the surrounding community then, as it remains today.
Symbols seen on old buildings in Malpas representing the two major landowners
The Wyvern was the symbol of the Drakes who acquired property in Malpas from the Breretons
The Gryphon was the Cholmondeley family emblem, it can be seen on the gable of The Old Printing House in Church Street.
