In the 19th and early 20th 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 and 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 jowel with more affluent sections of society and crime, as always, knew no boundaries. The stories were often chronicled in detail in the local press of 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 at this time, 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 19th and early 20th 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 of England.

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 local history of Cheshire. 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 and his hobbies are writing, travel, motorcycling and classic cars.Rose Hurley is an expert in family history research. This is her first book for Amberley Publishing.