Esther M. Zimmer Lederberg
Henry Mayhew's 19th Century London
What Charles Dickens Saw
Jack Black the Rat catcher

Jack_Black colour

As I wished to obtain the best information about rat and vermin destroying, I thought I could not do better now than apply to that eminent authority "the Queen's ratcatcher," Mr. "Jack" Black, whose hand-bills are headed—"V.R. Rat and mole destroyer to Her Majesty."
I had already had a statement from the royal bug-destroyer relative to the habits and means ot exterminating those offensive vermin, and I was desirous of pairing it with an account of the Queen of England's ratcatcher.
In the sporting world, and among his regular customers, the Queen's ratcatcher is better known by the name of Jack Black. He enjoys the reputation of being the most fearless handler of rats of any man living, playing with them&emdash;as one man expressed it to me— "as if they were so many blind kittens."
The first time I ever saw Mr. Black was in the streets of London, at the corner of Hart-street, where he was exhibiting the rapid effects of his rat poison, by placing some of it in the mouth of a living animal. He had a cart then with rats painted on the panels, and at the tailboard, where he stood lecturing, he had a kind of stage rigged up, on which were cages filled with rats, and pills, and poison packages.
Here I saw him dip his hand into this cage of rats and take out as many as he could hold, a feat which generally caused an "oh!" of wonder to escape from the crowd, especially when the observed that his hands were unbitten. Women more particularly shuddered when they beheld him place some half-dozen of the dusty-looking brutes within his shirt next his skin; and men swore the animals had been tamed, as he let them run up his arms like squirrels, and the people gathered round beheld them sitting on his shoulders cleaning their faces with their front-paws, or rising up on their hind legs like little kangaroos, and sniffing about his ears and cheeks.
But those who knew Mr. Black better, were well aware that the animals he took up in his hand were as wild as any of the rats in the sewers of London, and that the only mystery in the exhibition was that of a man having courage enough to undertake the work.
I afterwards visited Jack Black at his house in Battersea. I had some difficulty in discovering his country residence, and was indebted to a group of children gathered round and staring at the bird-cage in the window of his cottage for his address. Their exclamations of delight at a grey parrot climbing with his beak and claws about the zinc wires of his cage, and the hopping of the little linnets there, in the square boxes scarcely bigger than a brick, made me glance up at the door to discover who the bird-fancier was ; when painted on a bit of zinc— just large enough to fit the shaft of a tax cart— I saw the words, "J. Black, Rat Destroyer to Her Majesty," surmounted by the royal initials, V.R.,1 together with the painting of a white rat.
Mr. Black wasw out "sparrer ketching," as his wife informed me, for he had an order for three dozen, "which was to be shot in a match" at some tea-gardens close by.
[...]
I was soon at home with Mr. Black. He was a very different man from what I had expected to meet, for there was an expression of kindliness in his countenance, a quality which does not exactly agree with one's preconceived notions of ratcatchers. His face had a strange appearance, from his rough, uncombed hair, being nearly grey, and his eyebrows and whiskers black, so that he looked as if he wore powder.
[...]
Later in the day Mr. Black became very communicative. We sat chatting together in his sanded bird shop, and he told me all his misfortunes, and how bad luck had pressed upon him, and driven him out of London.
"I was fool enough to take a public-house in Regent-street, sir," he said. "My daughter used to dress as the 'Ratchketcher's Daughter,' and serve behind the bar, and that did pretty well for a time; but it was a brewer's house, and they ruined me."
The costume of the "ratketcher's daughter" was shown to me by her mother. It was a red velvet bodice, embroidered with silver lace.
"With a muslin skirt, and her hair down her back, she looked very genteel," added the parent.
Mr. Black's chief complaint was that he could not "make an appearance," for his "uniform"—"a beautiful green coat and red waistcoat—were pledged."
Whilst giving me his statement, Mr. Black, in proof of his assertions of the biting powers of rats, drew my attention to the leathern breeches he wore, "as were given him twelve years ago by Captain B—."
These were pierced in some places with the teeth of the animals, and in others were scratched and fringed like the washleather of a street knife-seller.
His hands, too, and even his face, had scars upon them by bites.
[...]
Mr. Black informed me in secret that he had often, "unbeknownst to his wife," tasted what cooked rats were like, and he asserted that they were as moist as rabbits, and quite as nice.
"If they are shewer-rats," he continued, "just chase them for two or three days before you kill them, and they are as good as barn-rats, I give you my word, sir."
Mr. Black's statement was as follows:—
"I should think I've been at ratting a'most for five-and-thirty year; indeed, I may say from my childhood, for I've kept at it a'most all my life. I've been dead near three times from bites—as near as a toucher. I once had the teeth of a rat break in my finger, which was dreadful bad, and swole, and putrified, so that I had to have the broken bits pulled out with tweezers. When the bite is a bad one, it festers and forms a hard core in the ulcer, which is very painful, and throbs very much indeed; and after that the core comes away, unless you cleans 'em out well, the sores, even after they seemed to be healed, break out over and over again, and never cure perfectly. This core is as big as a boiled fish's eye, and as hard as a stone. I generally cuts the bite out clean with a lancet, and squeege the humour well from it, and that's the only way to cure it thorough—as you see my hands is all covered with scars from bites.
"The worst bite I ever had was at the Manor House, Hornsey, kept by Mr. Burnell. One day when I was there, he had some rats get loose, and he asked me to ketch 'em for him, as they was wanted for a match that was coming on that afternoon. I had picked up a lot—indeed, I had one in each hand, and another again my knee, when I happened to come to a sheaf of straw, which I turned over, and there was a rat there. I couldn't lay hold on him 'cause my hands was full, and as I stooped down he ran up the sleeve of my coat, and bit me on the muscle of my arm. I shall never forget it. It turned me all of a sudden, and made me feel numb. In less than half-an-hour I was took so bad I was obleeged to be sent home, and I had to get some one to drive my cart for me. It was terrible to see the blood that came from me—I bled awful. Burnell seeing me go so queer, says, 'Here, Jack, take some brandy, you look so awful bad.' The arm swole, and went as heavy as a ton weight pretty well, so that I couldn't even lift it, and so painful I couldn't bear my wife to ferment it. I was kept in bed for two months through that bite at Burnell's. I was so weak I couldn't stand, and I was dreadful feverish—all warmth like. I knew I was going to die, 'cause I remember the doctor coming and opening my eyes, to see if I was still alive.
"I've been bitten nearly everywhere, even where I can't name to you, sir, and right through my thumb nail too, which, as you see, always has a split in it, though it's years since I was wounded. I suffered as much from that bite on my thumb as anything. It went right up to my ear. I felt the pain in both places at once, at once—a regular twinge, like touching the nerve of a tooth. The thumb went black, and I was told I ought to have it off; but I knew a young chap at the Middlesex Hospital who wasn't out of his time, and he said, 'No, I wouldn't, Jack;' and no more I did; and he used to strap it up for me. But the worst of it was, I had a job in Camden Town one afternoon after he had dressed the wound, and I got another bite lower down on the same thumb, and that flung me down on my bed, and there I stopped, I should think, six weeks.
"I was bit bad, too, in Edwards-street, Hampstead-road; and that time I was sick near three months, and close upon dying. Whether it was the poison of the bite, or the medicine the doctor give me, I can't say; but the flesh seemed to swell up like a bladder—regular blowed like. After all, I think I cured myself by cheating the doctor, as they calls it; for instead of taking the medicine, I used to go to Mr. —'s house in Albany-street (the publican), and he'd say, 'What'll yer have, Jack?' and I used to take a glass of stout, and that seemed to give me strength to overcome the pison of the bite, for I began to pick up as soon as I left off doctor's stuff.
"When a rat's bite touches the bone, it makes you faint in a minute, and it bleeds dreadful—ah, most terrible—just as if you had been stuck with a penknife. You couldn't believe the quantity of blood that come away, sir.
"The first rats I caught was when I was about nine years of age. I ketched them at Mr. Strickland's, a large cow-keeper, in Little Albany-street, Regent's-park. At that time it was all fields and meaders in them parts, and I recollect there was a big orchard on one side of the sheds. I was only doing it for a game, and there was lots of ladies and gents looking on, and wondering at seeing me taking the rats out from under a heap of old bricks and wood, where they had collected theirselves. I had a little dog—a little red 'un it was, who was well known through the fancy—and I wanted the rats for to test my dog with, I being a lad what was fond of the sport.
"I wasn't afraid to handle rats even then; it seemed to come nat'ral to me. I very soon had some in my pocket, and some in my hands, carrying them away as fast as I could, and putting them into my wire cage. You see, the rats began to run as soon as we shifted them bricks, and I had to scramble for them. Many of them bit me, and, to tell you the truth, I didn't know the bites were so many, or I dare say I shouldn't have been so venturesome as I was.
[...]
"It's fifteen year ago since I first worked for Government. I found that the parks was much infested with rats, which had underminded the bridges and gnawed the drains, and I made application to Mr. Westley, who was superintendent of the park, and he spoke of it, and then it was wrote to me that I was to fulfill the siterwation, and I was to have six pounds a-year. But after that it was altered, and I was to have so much a-head, which is threepence. After that, Newton, what was a warmint destroyer to her Majesty, dying, I wrote in to the Board of Hordinance, when they appointed me to each station in London—that was, to Regentsey-park-barracks, to the Knightsbridge and Portland-barracks, and to all the other barracks in the metropolis. I've got the letter now by me, in which they says 'they is proud to appint me.'
"I've taken thirty-two rats out of one hole in the islands in Regentsey-park, and found in it fish, birds, and loads of eggs—duck-eggs, and every kind.
"It must be fourteen year since I first went about the streets exhibiting with rats. I began with a cart and a'most a donkey; for it was a pony scarce bigger; but I've had three or four big horses since that, and ask anybody, and they'll tell you I'm noted for my cattle. I thought that by having a kind of costume, and the rats painted on the cart, and going round the country, I should get my name about, and get myself knowed; and so I did, for folks 'ud come to me, so that sometimes I've had four jobs of a-day, from people seeing my cart. I found I was quite the master of the rat, and could do pretty well what I liked with him; so I used to go round Finchley, Highgate, and all the sububs, and show myself, and how I handled the warmint.
I used to wear a costume of white leather breeches, and a green coat and scarlet waistkit, and a goold band round my hat, and a belt across my shoulder. I used to make a first-rate appearance, such as was becoming the uniform of the Queen's rat-ketcher.
"Lor' bless you! I've travell'd all over London, and I'll kill rats again anybody. I'm open to all the world for any sum, from one pound to fifty. I used to have my belts painted at first by Mr. Bailey, the animal painter—with four white rats; but the idea come into my head that I'd cast the rats in metal, just to make more appearance for the belt, to come out in the world. I was nights and days at it, and it give me a deal of bother. I could manage it no how; but by my own ingenuity and persewerance I succeeded. A man axed me a pound a-piece for casting the rats—that would ha' been four pound. I was very certain that my belt, being a handsome one, would help my business tremenjous in the sale of my composition. So I took a mould from a dead rat in plaster, and then I got some of my wife's sarsepans, and, by G—, I casted 'em with some of my own pewter-pots."
The wife, who was standing by, here exclaimed—
"Oh, my poor sarsepans! I remember 'em. There was scarce one left to cook our wittels with."
"Thousands of moulders," continued Jack Black, "used to come to see me do the casting of the rats, and they kept saying, 'You'll never do it, Jack.' The great difficulty, you see, was casting the heye—which is a black bead—into the metal.
"When the belt was done, I had a great success; for, bless you, I couldn't go a yard without a crowd after me.
"When I was out with the cart selling my composition, my usual method was this. I used to put a board across the top, and form a kind of counter. I always took with me a iron-wire cage—so big a one, that Mr. Barnet, a Jew, laid a wager that he could get into it, and he did. I used to form this cage at one end of the cart, and sell my composition at the other. There were rats painted round the cart—that was the only show I had about the wehicle. I used to take out the rats, and put them outside the cage; and used to begin the show by putting rats inside my shirt next my buzzum, or in my coat and breeches pockets, or on my shoulder—in fact, all about me, anywhere. The people would stand to see me take up rats without being bit. I never said much, but I used to handle the rats in every possible manner, letting 'em run up my arm, and stroking their backs and playing with 'em. Most of the people used to fancy they had been tamed on purpose, until they'd see me take fresh ones from the cage, and play with them in the same manner. I all this time kept on selling my composition, which my man Joe used to offer about; and whenever a packet was sold, I walways tested its wirtues by kililng a rat with it afore the people's own eyes.
"I once went to Tottenham to sell my composition, and to exhibit with my rats afore the country people. Some countrymen, which said they were rat-ketchers, came up to me whilst I was playing with some rats, and said&Mdash; 'Ugh, you're not a rat-ketcher; that's not the way to do it.' They were startled at seeing me selling the pison at such a rate, for the shilling packets were going uncommon well, sir. I said, 'No, I ain't a rat-ketcher, and don't know nothink about it. You come up and show me how to do it.' One of them come up on the cart, and put his hand in the cage, and curious enough he got three bites directly, and aford he could take his hands out they was nearly bit to ribands. My man Joe, says he, 'I tell you, if we ain't rat-ketchers, who is? We are the regular rat-ketchers; my master kills 'em, and then I eats 'em'—and he takes up a live one and puts its head into his mouth, and I puts my hand in the cage and pulls out six or seven in a cluster, and holds 'em up in the air, without even a bite. The countrymen bust out laughing; and they said, 'Well, you're the best we ever see.' I sold nearly 4l. worth of composition that day.
"Another day, when I'd been out flying pigeons as well—carriers, which I fancies to—I drove the cart, after selling the composition, to the King's Arms, Hanwell, and there was a feller there—a tailor by trade—what had turned rat-ketcher. He had got with him some fifty or sixty rats—the miserablest mangey brutes you ever seed in a tub—taking 'em up to London to sell. I, hearing of it, was determined to have a lark, so I goes up and takes out ten of them rats, and puts them inside my shirt, next my buzzum, and then I walks into the parlour and sits down, and begins drinking my ale as right as if nothink had happened. I scarced had seated myself, when the landlord—who was in the lay— says 'I know a man who'll ketch rats quicker than anybody in the world.' This put the tailor chap up, so he offers to bet half-a-gallon of ale he would, and I takes him. He goes to the tub and brings out a very large rat, and walks with it into the room to show to the company. 'Well,' says I to the man, 'why I, who ain't a rat-ketcher, I've got a bigger one here,' and I pulls one out from my buzzum. 'And here's another, and another, and another,' says I, till I had placed the whole ten on the table. 'That's the way I ketch 'em,' says I,—'they comes of their own accord to me.' He tried to handle the warmints, but the poor fellow was bit, and his hands was soon bleeding fur'ously, and I without a mark. A gentleman as knowed me said, 'This must be the Queen's rat-ketcher,' and that spilt the fun. The poor fellow seemed regular done up, and said, 'I shall give up rat-ketching, you've beat me! Here I've been travelling with rats all my life, and I never see such a thing afore.'
[...]
"There was a man Mrs. Brown had got of the name of John, and he wouldn't believe about the rats, and half thought I brought 'em with me. So I showed him how to ketch rats.
"You see rats have always got a main run, and from it go the branch runs on each side like on a herring-bone, and at the end of the branch runs is the bolt-holes, for coming in and out at. I instantly stopped up all the bolt holes and worked the rats down to the end of the main run, then I broke up the branch runs and stopped the rats getting back, and then, when I'd got 'em all together at the end of the main run, I put my arm down and lifted them up. I have had at times to put half my body into a hole and thrust down my arm just like getting rabbits out of their burrers.
[...]
"I have had some good finds at times, rat-hunting. I found under one floor in a gent's house a great quantity of table napkins and silver spoons and forks, which the rats had carried away for the grease on 'em—shoes and boots gnawed to pieces, shifts, aprons, gownds, pieces of silk, and I don't know what not. Sarvants had been discharged accused of stealing them there things. Of course I had to give them up; but there they was.
[...]
"Rats will eat each other like rabbits, which I've watched them, and seen them turn the dead one's skins out like pusses, and eat the flesh off beautiful clean. I've got cages of iron-wire, which I made myself, which will hold 1000 rats at a time, and I've had these cages piled up with rats, solid like. No one would ever believe it; to look at a quantity of rats, and see how they will fight and tear one another about,—it's astonishing, so it is! I never found any rats smothered, by putting them in a cage so full; but if you don't feed them every day, they'll fight and eat one another—they will, like cannibals.
"I've bred the finest collection of pied rats which has ever been knowed in the world. I had above eleven hundred of them—all wariegated rats, and of a different specie and colour, all of them in the first instance bred from the Norwegian and the white rat, and afterwards crossed with other specie.
"I have ris some of the largest tailed rats ever seen. I've sent them to all parts of the globe, and near every town in England. When I sold 'em off, three hundred of them went to France. I ketched the first white rat I had at Hampstead; and the black ones at Messrs. Hodges and Lowman's, in Regent-street, and them I bred in. I have 'em fawn and white, black and white, brown and white, red and white, blue-black and white, black-white and red."

1 Victoria Regina (Queen Victoria)

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