DD - Episode 35 - Malpas

In this episode of Domesday Delving, we travel to Malpas in Cheshire—a place whose name, from the Old French mal pas, means bad passage. But long before that name took hold, the Anglo-Saxons called it Depenbech: the deep stream valley. Once held by Earl Edwin of Mercia, Malpas stood at the edge of Anglo-Saxon power and Norman ambition. We explore what the Domesday Book reveals about the manor’s collapse into waste after the Conquest, and how it began the slow process of recovery under a new Norman baron. This episode also dives into the life and downfall of Edwin himself—a powerful noble caught between loyalty and survival, and a man whose story ended in betrayal. We’ll trace the passage from valley to ruin to resilience—and reflect on how the Domesday Book preserves not only wealth and ownership, but silence, loss, and endurance. Join the Domesday Delving Facebook group for community and discussion, and if you’d like to help support the show, here’s the link to the Patreon: patreon.com/DomesdayDelving