The Bostock family is one of the oldest in Cheshire stretching back to the 11th century. This is not just the story of the Bostock family, but of a typical middle-class type of family of the medieval era. In the seventeenth century it was said that the Cheshire gentry are remarkable for "their numbers, not to be paralleled in England in their like extent of ground; their antiquity; their loyalty; and their hospitality, no county keeping better houses". The men of Cheshire were also described as "a breed of men skilled in the warlike craft - especially archery; accustomed to war; prone to lawlessness; feared and respected throughout the country; and who have a conscious sense of community". This account of the Bostock family will, I believe, satisfy those descriptions.This book tells of the origins of the family name in Norman times; how it progressed through the Middle Ages; how individual members of the family were involved in the great episodes of England's history; and how numerous branches throughout Cheshire and the rest of England developed. The book is illustrated with maps, charts, photographs and heraldry.