In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries Cheshire was a thriving part of the north-west of England. Bordered by Liverpool and Manchester to the north, much of the county was rural and agricultural, centred on the historic county city of Chester, the market towns of Macclesfield, Winsford and Northwich and also the industrial towns of Warrington, Crewe, Widnes, Runcorn and Ellesmere Port. It was a period of great social change as people from all walks of life moved with their families in search of work. Deprivation and poverty could often be found cheek by jowl with more affluent sections of society, and crime, as always, knew no boundaries. The stories were often chronicled in detail in local press at the time and in this book authors Paul and Rose Hurley have delved into the historical records to reveal the dark side of life of everyday people of Cheshire, which could turn to murder and death by execution. This collection of true-life crime stories gives a vivid insight into life in Cheshire in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This book will fascinate anyone with an interest in the history of crime, as well as those who want to know more about the history of this area of the North West.

'The authors are to be congratulated on bringing key aspects of social behaviour linked to the historical impact of crime and punishment within a rural area in an outstanding coherent style which "brings the past to life". Well worth reading.' * Love Cheshire *

Paul Hurley has been a freelance writer since 2002 and has been writing professionally ever since. He has had magazine, local and national newspaper credits and has written several books for Amberley on the history of Cheshire, railways and other topics. Since retiring from the police in 2002 he has amassed a CV that takes in a three-part article in the Steam World magazine, one in the Backtrack magazine and many other magazine articles not relating to the railway scene. He lives in Winsford with his wife Rose and his hobbies are writing, travel, motorcycling and classic cars. Rose Hurley is a local historian who lives in Cheshire and is an expert in family history research.