I could have written this book primarily as a source book for local and church historians. There is much original material here, which I hope those readers with a specialist interest will find useful. However, I wanted to make the book readable (and enjoyable) for a wider audience, hence the style of some of the chapters and the use of separate inset sections. I also wanted to paint a picture of a group of people in their social, political, cultural and religious context. I hope therefore that this is not just an ordinary history, but an attempt to understand those people and the forces and passions that drove them. Above all, I want you to feel and understand what it was like to live in Altrincham at the time. I hope you enjoy reading this book as much as I have enjoyed writing it.