Melpuss History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Melpuss came to England with the ancestors of the Melpuss family in the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Melpuss family lived in Malpas, a parish in the union of Wrexham in the county of Cheshire.

Early Origins of the Melpuss family

The surname Melpuss was first found in Cheshire at Malpas, a large village and former market town, in the unions of Nantwich, Great Boughton, and Wrexham, chiefly in the Higher division of the hundred of Broxton. The barony formed part of the possessions of Earl Edwin prior to the Conquest, and was given by the first Norman earl of Chester to Robert Fitz-Hugh, one of the eight barons of his parliament. The castle, the head of the barony, was built soon after the Conquest, and stood immediately adjoining the church, but today all that is left is a circular mound, on which the keep stood. The place name literally means "the difficult passage" from the Old French words mal + pas.

Early History of the Melpuss family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Melpuss research. Another 76 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1625 and 1668 are included under the topic Early Melpuss History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Melpuss Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Malpas, Malpus, Malpass and others.

Early Notables of the Melpuss family

More information is included under the topic Early Melpuss Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Melpuss family to Ireland

Some of the Melpuss family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Melpuss family

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Melpuss or a variant listed above: George Malpas arrived in Philadelphia in 1856.