Morpass History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The history of the Morpass family name begins after the Norman Conquest of 1066. They lived in Malpas, a parish in the union of Wrexham in the county of Cheshire.

Early Origins of the Morpass family

The surname Morpass 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 Morpass family

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

Morpass Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Malpas, Malpus, Malpass and others.

Early Notables of the Morpass family

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

Migration of the Morpass family to Ireland

Some of the Morpass 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 Morpass family

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Morpass or a variant listed above were: George Malpas arrived in Philadelphia in 1856.