Threapwood
Threapwood is a small village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is close to the villages of Shocklach, Worthenbury and Malpas. The name is reputed to have derived from the Old English 'Threap' meaning to beat, thrash or cheat.
Up until Victorian times the village of Threapwood was partly in Cheshire, England and partly in Flintshire, Wales. But in 1896, under the "County of Chester (Threapwood) Order", the county and national boundary, which passed through the village, was adjusted slightly in favour of Cheshire.
Threapwood fell between, but outside of the control of, three parishes and as such was the home to brigands, ruffians, illegitimate children and women of loose repute.[1] In 1834, S Lewis in "A Topographical Dictionary of Wales" describes Threapwood as "long the resort of abandoned characters of every description, and especially of women of loose or blemished morals, who made a transient abode here, to be freed clandestinely from the consequences of illicit amours. ..... The inhabitants, considering themselves beyond the reach of all legal authority, opposed, even with force, the execution of the assize and other laws within their precinct. This tradition of being one step outside of the law continues to this day. As an example there is an exception to England's liquor licensing laws permitting the sale and consumption of liquor at any time of the day or night totally free of any tax or excise duty at any site within one hundred yards of the Church of St John. This right was granted by Edward 2nd after his life was saved by a Threapwood Innekeeper following a hunting accident. Whilst there has been no licensed establishment within the permitted area for over one hundred years, those fortunate enough to own property within the designated area can obtain a refund of the tax or excise paid on alcoholic liquor bought outside of the area. To obtain their refund residents must present empty bottles or containers to the High Sherrif of Cheshire at Chester Castle within a week of Michelmas. For many years there was a colourful tradition, where those who enjoyed this special exception would set out with their carts laden with empties shortly after sunrise on Michelmas Day. It always used to be said that the families who enjoyed this privilege could be easily identified by their corpulent shape and florid appearance, a tradition still maintained by some who live there."
"
Contents |
[edit] Buildings
[edit] Churches
- St. John (C of E). Founded 1817 as a chapel to Malpas (formerly extra-parochial), becoming the parish church for Threapwood in 1968.
- United Reformed Church (Independent/Congregational). Built 1850.
[edit] Other
- War Memorial
- A derelict brick tower windmill to the southeast of the village[2] still contains much of the internal mechanism, though in a ruinous state of repair.
[edit] Sources
- ^ GENUKI : Flintshire, Threapwood, St. John
- ^ Pevsner, Nikolaus and Hubbard, Edward (1971). The Buildings of England: Cheshire. Penguin Books. ISBN 0-300-09588-0
[edit] External links
Media related to Threapwood at Wikimedia Commons
|
|||||||||||||||||
