Hi Mike,
Your local library may have access to the Gale Newspaper collections - otherwise it is possible to get access with a subscripton.
A couple more ideas for you:
Leases - I have copies of leases both 3 life and counterpart from some of my farming families. The 3 life leases are especially interesting as they are often amended with births and deaths of the named leasees.
MI's - sometimes mention the name of the farm
Oaths of Allegiance 1723
Poll Tax
Hearth Tax
There are a number of societies who published collections of information during the Victorian period, often taking earlier historical documents as their source, for example:
"Cheshire Notes and Queries - a quarterly journal of matters past and present connected with the County Palatine of Chester"
"The Cheshire Sheaf"
"Transactions of the Lancashire and Cheshire Antiquarian Society"
If you go to
http://archive.org/index.php and put Cheshire in the Search with media type text you will see a large number of books. I've found some real gems in here such as a list of tithes from 1710 showing my 7xggrandfather Roger Bankes in Runcorn.
Parish Records - I don't mean the register, but the notes in the register about parish officials, pew seat allocations etc - and also the records of the parish such as paying for someone to catch rats, administration of funds to the poor etc.
These are all sources where I've found information to really make the family history live.
Hope this helps,
Jean