Maelor Saesneg, also known asEnglish Maelor, comprises one half of theMaelor region on the Welsh side of theWales-England border, being the area of the Maelor east of theRiver Dee. The region has changed counties several times, previously being part ofCheshire and later a detached portion ofFlintshire.[1] The area is currently inWales, despite its name, and administered as part ofWrexham County Borough.
The nameMaelor is an old Welsh word: it can be translated as "land of the prince", frommael "prince" andllawr "low ground", "region".[2]Malaur Saisnec appears in a document as early as 1202:Saesneg ("English") is believed to relate specifically to the area's religious administration, as it was historically part of the ancientDiocese of Lichfield and Chester.[2]
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At the time of the Roman invasion, the area was part of the region occupied by theCornovii, one of the Celtic tribes of ancient Britain, on the border with theDeceangli tribe across the River Dee to the west. Following Roman Britain, and the emergence of variouspetty kingdoms, the region was ruled within theKingdom of Powys until falling to the Kingdom ofMercia by the late 8th century underAethelbald.
At the time of theDomesday Book (1086), it was part of theEarldom of Chester listed as part of theCheshire Hundred of Duddestan; Bettisfield was the largest settlement, with 28 households.[3]
The English Maelor is first recorded as a separate lordship from theMaelor in 1202. It was inherited byGruffydd Maelor II in 1236 when his father,Madog ap Gruffydd Maelor, died and his kingdom was divided between his five sons. Gruffydd married Emma Audley ofShropshire, who was subsequently dispossessed of the lands byLlywelyn the Great on the death of Gruffudd in 1269.
Llywelyn ap Gruffudd surrendered the English Maelor toEdward I in 1282 following military campaign. Edward awarded it toQueen Eleanor. In 1309, underEdward II, it was granted toQueen Isabella. In 1397, underRichard II of England, it merged with theCounty Palatine of Chester to form "thePrincipality of Chester". In 1398, it was restored to an earldom byHenry IV.
In 1536, under the rule ofHenry VIII, the area became anexclave of the county ofFlintshire, surrounded by Cheshire, Shropshire and Denbighshire, as theHundred of Maelor, later often called "Flintshire Detached". The Welsh Maelor, orMaelor Gymraeg, was included in Denbighshire. The English Maelor's market town and administrative centre wasOverton: its constituent parts were the parishes ofBangor on Dee andWorthenbury, the threetownships of Overton Villa, Overton Foreign and Knolton in the parish of Overton,Penley township from theShropshire parish of Ellesmere,Iscoyd township in the Shropshire parish ofMalpas, and Wallington,Halghton,Tybroughton,Bronington, Hanmer andBettisfield townships in the parish ofHanmer.[4]
In 1887, aBoundary Commission was appointed to review these nationally. At an inquiry at Overton, it was found that most of the population favoured becoming part ofShropshire, and this was later supported by a resolution of the Flintshire justices of the peace.[5] However, whenlocal government legislation was introduced, no change was made.
Under theLocal Government Act 1894 the area becameOverton Rural District. The administrative county of Flintshire was abolished in 1974 under theLocal Government Act 1972, and the area became part ofClwyd. Since Clwyd was itself abolished in 1996 under theLocal Government (Wales) Act 1994, the area has been administered as part ofWrexham County Borough.
Remfry, P.M.,Whittington Castle and the families of Bleddyn ap Cynfyn, Peverel, Maminot, Powys and Fitz Warin (ISBN 1-899376-80-1)
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