As this chapter shows, Crewe came into existence following the decision of the Grand Junction Railway to relocate its main works from Edgehill to a new site. Before the railway moved to Monks Coppenhall, Crewe did not exist. The study was based in Crewe for a number of reasons. First, because Crewe grew virtually out of nothing, it represented a relatively small town and so it had a known starting point. Second, by virtue of the Works, the town also had a relatively stable population. Third, Crewe had a virtually complete run of petty sessions records from 1880–1940 and a complete run of at...

As this chapter shows, Crewe came into existence following the decision of the Grand Junction Railway to relocate its main works from Edgehill to a new site. Before the railway moved to Monks Coppenhall, Crewe did not exist. The study was based in Crewe for a number of reasons. First, because Crewe grew virtually out of nothing, it represented a relatively small town and so it had a known starting point. Second, by virtue of the Works, the town also had a relatively stable population. Third, Crewe had a virtually complete run of petty sessions records from 1880–1940 and a complete run of at least one of the local newspapers, namely the Crewe Chronicle.