The Rat-pit

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Mayhew, H. (1851). London Labour and the London Poor, Volume 3, Chp 1, Jimmy Shaw. London: Griffen, Bohn and Company, Stationer's Hall Court. London: Griffen, Bohn and Company, Stationer's Hall Court. Jess Ratting". 20 June 2009. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021 . Retrieved 20 February 2015– via YouTube. A rat pit was a small enclosed arena built to hold a terrier and rats. In the days before PC culture, and particularly in Victorian England, it was a common blue collar sport. Built in a gambling den, bets were placed on either the number of rats that dog could kill or the time it needed to kill them. The shops on Highfield Park Road, eg Youds Newsagent, Bealey's Grocery, Partington's Butchers and the fish and chip shop. Sadly only a Chinese Takeaway exists now. Chester's bakery shop on Bents Lane. Mayhew, H. (1851). London Labour and the London Poor, Volume 3, Chp 1, Jimmy Shaw. London: Griffen, Bohn and Company, Stationer's Hall Court.

Rat Hunting Dogs: The History Of Rat Terriers and Ratcatchers". A Life of Dogs. 24 February 2020 . Retrieved 4 September 2023. a b Brynk, William (16 August 2005). "The Home of the Rat Pit". New York Sun . Retrieved 16 July 2019.

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With the decline of rat-baiting, and the increased used of chemicals to deal with rat infestations, the dogs eventually began to fall out of favour.

In a further instance of species transgression, the rat-catcher outwitted rats by disguising his human scent, with the ‘strong aromatic odour’ of thyme and aniseed oil. This both disguised the rat-catcher's smell and attracted rats, drawing ‘vermin out of their holes, crawling to the master of the powerful spell’ when properly applied. 23 Through knowledge of the cravings and desires of rats, and manipulation of these, the rat-catcher turned cunningness against the rat. In shaping the rat-catcher narrative, Mayhew exposed his inherent animality, not least because, for contemporaries, smell was the sense most associated with animal states and savagery. 24 a b C & G's Crazy Critters Rattery. "Ratting History: A Night at the Rat Pit". Archived from the original on 23 March 2006 . Retrieved 14 July 2006. Walter Manship, who lived next door to the Ship, ran this barbaric sport from the late 1860s when it attracted hundreds of paying customers.It was run by Arthur’s son - Arthur Junior, until he was shot dead in 1991. The younger son Billy took over briefly until he was seriously assaulted. a b c Fleig, D. (1996). History of Fighting Dogs. pp.105–112 T.F.H. Publications. ISBN 0-7938-0498-1 Sullivan, R. (2005). Rats: Observations on the History and Habitat of the City's Most Unwanted Inhabitants. Chapter 9 Bloomsbury USA. ISBN 1-58234-385-3