This is the story of how and why a small Lancashire village on the banks of the River Wyre became a bustling port, market and textile town in the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries. It is a tale of life, work, adventures and voyages, using newly discovered material to tell of the ships, mariners, merchants, farmers and people of Poulton and the harbours of Wyer Water. Why and how did a small market town like Poulton become such an important port? Did many young Skippool and Poulton men leave to become mariners, and did they return? And what is the legacy for the town today? The answers are all here in Graham Evans' fascinating and detailed book, a real gem for those interested in Poulton, England's maritime past, and local and family history.