| Threapwood | |
|---|---|
 Derelict brick tower mill at Threapwood | |
  Threapwood Location withinCheshire | |
| Population | 153 (2011) |
| OS grid reference | SJ440451 |
| Civil parish |
|
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | MALPAS |
| Postcode district | SY14 |
| Dialling code | 01948 |
| Police | Cheshire |
| Fire | Cheshire |
| Ambulance | North West |
| UK Parliament | |
| 53°00′18″N2°49′59″W / 53.005°N 2.833°W /53.005; -2.833 | |
Threapwood is a small village andcivil parish in the unitary authority ofCheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county ofCheshire, England. It is close to the villages ofShocklach,Worthenbury andMalpas.
Threapwood developed on an area ofcommon land, historically a tract of woodland lying between Cheshire andFlintshire, which was traditionally reputed to have fallen outside of county, parish and township boundaries: it was therefore outside the jurisdiction of anyJustice of the Peace and paid no land tax or parish rates. This status was reflected in its name, withthreap being a commonOld English place name element referring to disputed boundary areas.[1]
This vague administrative status was to lead to Threapwood gaining a reputation as a home to "abandoned characters of every description, and especially of women of loose or blemished morals".[2] It was also a refuge for military deserters.[3] Various attempts were made to bring Threapwood within the normal administrative structure; by the Militia Acts of 1792 it was decreed to be inWorthenbury – though for the purposes of the militia only – and theMutiny Act 1797 placed it in the parish ofMalpas.[4]
Until Victorian times the village continued to be regarded as partly in Cheshire, and partly in Flintshire. But in 1896, under the "County of Chester (Threapwood) Order", the county boundary (and therefore the boundary between England and Wales), which passed through the village, was adjusted slightly in favour of Cheshire.
Media related toThreapwood at Wikimedia Commons
