Malpas, Cheshire Genealogy

History
The church is dedicated to Oswald, King of Northumbria, killed in battle against Pendra, the King of Mercia in 642. Little is known of who built the church or exactly when. 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 Cholmondeley Chapel at the East end of the North aisle was built by Richard Cholmondeley and his wife Elizabeth in 1514. The Cholmondeley monument, shown in the photograph, was erected in 1605. It shows Sir Hugh Cholmondeley, who died in 1596, and his second wife Mary. The east side of the tomb shows Sir Hugh's son, Sir Hugh the younger and his wife Mary Holford. Sir Hugh the younger was knighted at the time of the Spanish Armada (1588) and was Sheriff of Chester in 1589. The inscription in Latin is translated as follows: Hugh Cholmondeley of Cholmondeley the elder, Knight, Vice-Warden of the Welsh Marches, six times Sheriff died in his 83rd year, 1596, and in this earth is buried. Also his son and heir, Hugh Cholmondeley, Knight attaining the age of 50 departed this life AD 1601 and lies here. Also his wife the Lady Mary who after the death of her husband, on account of her very dear affection for him, for love of him had this monument erected AD 1605. The Brereton Chapel is at the East end of the South aisle. Sir Randal Brereton specified in his will of 1530 that he should be buried in the Lady Chapel so it is presumed that this was on the South side. The Brereton effigy was ordered in Sir Randal's lifetime. As alabaster is not native to Cheshire it is likely to have been made from stone quarried near Burton on Trent. The spurs on the effigy indicate that he was a knight and the dog in the folds of his wife's skirt indicate fidelity. He fought in the battles of Terouanne and Tournay in France and was knight banneret to the body of King Henry VII. His son, was the Sir William Brereton executed by Henry VIII in 1536 on suspicion of being a lover of Anne Boleyn. In addition there is brass in the East wall of the Brereton chapel, possibly as early as 1362, which states in Norman French "Sir Philip de Egerton, his wives and children lie here, may God have mercy on their souls". An alabaster stone shows a priest and the inscription in Latin "Here lies the body of Urian Davenport, at one time Vicar of Malpas and Vicar of Acton, which said vicar died 28 July AD 1495 on whose soul may the Lord have mercy, Amen." Richard Cholmondeley the younger, was a benefactor in 1488 and it is known that Sir Randal Brereton gave the tenor bell in 1508. Among the other significant local families were the Dod family of Edge Hall, and the Tarletons of Bolesworth, whose hatchments hang with those of the Cholmondeleys of Cholmondeley Castle in the nave below the clerestory. Other interesting features of the church are the remains of a triple sedilla, seating for additional priests, in the wall near the altar, and a piscina, for washing communion vessels. Most of the box pews of 1680 were destroyed during a restoration in the 1880s but six were preserved in the Brereton Chapel and later moved to the back of the South aisle. There is a fine example of an iron bound parish chest dating from the 13th century. Against the south wall are three 15th century stalls with misericords. There is a two storey porch on the south door. Malpas has some good examples of gargoyles. The guilding on the ceiling was renewed in the 1970s. Bishop Heber, who wrote some well-known hymns including From Greenland's icy mountains; Holy, Holy, Holy and Brightest and best are the sons of the morning, had a connection with Malpas. He was born in 1775 at the Higher Rectory when his father was rector of the Higher Moiety of the parish. He became Bishop of Calcutta. Scenes from his life are shown in the lower part of the East window.

The Rectors of Malpas
From very early times there were two rectors of Malpas and various suggestions, some exceedingly picturesque, have been put forward to explain this fact. However, it would seem that there are only two worthy of serious consideration. The Revnd. J. E. Newell, in his “History of the Welsh Church” (1895), makes this suggestion: “The curious succession system practiced in Wales whereby benefices descended from father to son, led in some cases to a strange abuse, the custom of dividing benefices between various incumbents. The church of Kerry, Montgomery, had two rectors; Hey in Radnor was divided between two brothers...” As part of the ancient parish of Malpas was actually in Wales, this custom may have crept over the border. If this is the truth, then the division happened at a very early date for there were two rectors in 1285, namely William of Audlem of the Higher Moiety and Leodegarius of Nottingham of the Lower Moiety. Another explanation, and perhaps the more probable one, is that when Fitz Hugh died leaving no heir, the barony was divided between his two daughters, Letitia and Mabilia. It may well be that at the same time the rectory was divided into two moieties. The dual rectory continued right down to 1885 when it was abolished and the ancient parish of Malpas broken up to form the new parishes of Whitewell, Bickerton, Bickley and Tushingham.

Both the size of the parish and the size of the church are explained by the long dual rector system of land ownership and benefice. It is apparent from the Cheshire Land tax of the extent of land ownership of the dual rectors.