The lordship was bordered by the Duchy of Jülich to the south, west and north, and the Archbishopric of Cologne to the east.
It was located in the Lower Rhenish-Westphalian Circle, and from 1752 it was an Imperial Estate with a vote in the Bench of Counts of Westphalia.
The first mention of Wickrath occurred in 971 where it was called "Wickenrodero Marca".
It came to the Lords (later raised to Counts) of Quadt [de] which renamed to Quadt-Wykradt in 1502.
Wickrath, along with all German territory west of the Rhine River, was annexed to France in 1794 and the Counts of Quadt (later Princes, 1901) were later remunerated for their loss by gaining the City of Isny in modern Baden-Württemberg in 1803.