2008/44

Rentokil,

James Henry Atkinson (Designer), Procter Brothers (Manufacturer)

The 'Sentry' mouse trap was designed by James Henry Atkinson of Leeds, and was manufactured and sold by Procter Brothers. C.1926
The 'Sentry' mouse trap was designed by James Henry Atkinson of Leeds, and was manufactured and sold by Procter Brothers. It is a flat snap type mouse trap, which kills the mouse by breaking its back. Instead of relying on a treadle to release the striking frame and catch the mouse, as in the early ‘Little Nipper’ trap, the ‘Sentry’ used the bait hook. The design for this bait hook, dating to circa 1926, differs from the early ‘Sentry’ traps in that it has a simple wire hook with two prongs. Some of these traps were specially made for other companies – this one, named ‘Rentokil’, was made for Rentokil.

Mouse trap: wood, metal

See Figure 20h, p.34, in 'British Mouse Traps and their Makers' by David Drummond, 2008., The 83 mouse traps and 2 mole traps in this collection were acquired by David Drummond during the course of his research into the history of mouse traps. David Drummond is a zoologist who spent much of his professional life in advice and research on the control of rodents. Since retiring as the Ministry of Agriculture’s Chief Scientific Officer in charge of the Central Science Laboratories concerned with Plant Pests and Diseases in 1988, he has published many articles and books about mouse traps, their inventors and manufacturers, including ‘British Mouse Traps and their Makers’ (Mouse Trap Books, Dorking 2008). For further information, see http://www.mousetrapbooks.com.

Leeds, Leeds

1926

Wood, Metal