Agricultural Old Trades "Vermin Rail"

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Palegirl

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I spend a lot of my time in the countryside, and I love to record the old trades and places I visit. For the first time ever I came across a "vermin Rail" (very rare) this is a picture of the Moles caught by the Mole catcher which he hung on the barbed wire, for every mole he caught he got paid so this was his way of proving his worth.


Molerail-024.jpg
 
That's the second one I have seen recently. The other was near Sutton in north yorks.
 
Geordi you are a lucky boy, I have been waiting at least 3 years to see this and you see two together. The conditions for Moles have been perfect this year (if you are a mole) I love watching nature and life pass me by : )

Tina, thanks love for your nice comments, glad I didn't scare you. Life as we live it is constantly changing, I live on the outside of trendy but see it as it is changing..
 
takes me back also , my dad was a keeper . You would be locked up now for some of the stuff that used to be on it:D
 
Mmmmm - bit of garlic, fried onions and some dandelion leaves stewed gently.:thumbs:

I have a friend who is a mole catcher. he doesn't waste his moles by stringing them on a gibbet. He keeps a couple in his trap bag.....he is paid per mole you see! Several moles have earned him a good few beers.
 
Ahh, is that what they are? I saw something like this up in Windermere earlier this year and was wondering!

On a related note, anyone know why someone might hang up a sheel/lamb skeleton like this? There's one on a walk we do throught the cotswolds.
 
Cuchulainn said:
Ahh, is that what they are? I saw something like this up in Windermere earlier this year and was wondering!

On a related note, anyone know why someone might hang up a sheel/lamb skeleton like this? There's one on a walk we do throught the cotswolds.
Click to expand...

Probably to scare off walkers :D

I grew up on the edge of the country so sights like this are nothing new to me, but have you ever seen a knot of rats?
I've only ever seen two, one where the ratcatcher had knotted the tails together, the other a natural tangle involving six rats.

As for the moles, I wouldn't waste them either, they have a lovely fur, but then I always did keep and dry the skins of animals I shot, even had a rat fur wristband I made once lol.
 
Never saw a knot of rats either - thought it was just an urban legend/myth. You live and learn!
 
Used to see these a lot when I was a lad in Cheshire only they were hung above the gates of fields on a wire slung between two vertical poles. Not nice but necessary I suppose. Technically I like what you have done with the image, really nice.

Andy
 
The ones that I keep meaning to get a shot of are the crucified crows as pour encourager les autres..
 
I have really enjoyed reading your replies on this an unusual subject.

Oooh now you have me on the look out for a knot of rats, do you have pictures Ian?
 
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