thumb|Medieval commotes of Wales, with Maelor, only covering [[English Maelor in the north-east.]]
The Maelor is an area of north-east Wales along the border with England. It is now entirely part of Wrexham County Borough. The name Maelor is an old Welsh word: it can be translated as "land of the prince", from mael ("prince") and llawr ("low ground", "region").
History
The Maelor originated as a cantref of the Kingdom of Powys, focused on the monastic settlement of Bangor-on-Dee and containing the commotes of Maelor, Yale (Iâl), the Alyn Valley (Ystrad Alun) and Hope (Yr Hob).
Most of the area fell under control of the Kingdom of Mercia during the eighth century, with Offa's Dyke delineating the new border. Maelor Saesneg ("English Maelor") included parts of the parishes of Overton, Ellesmere, Whittington and Oswestry; Malaur Saisnec appears in a document as early as 1202. Saesneg ("English") is believed to relate specifically to the area's religious administration rather than linguistic factors, as it was historically part of the ancient Diocese of Lichfield and Chester. However, when local government legislation was introduced no change was made.
Under the Local Government Act 1894, the area became Overton Rural District, which was again renamed in 1953 as Maelor Rural District, remaining as a detached part of Flintshire until 1974.