some years ago we rented a farm cottage whilst we built our own house , the cottage was one of four that were built to the rear of the hall and were originally for farm labourers, the biggest of the cottages was rented by two retired schoolmistresses ,at the side of the house was a large pond and at the rear was part of a moat then stables and pigstys ,this place was alive with rats so one of the ladies asked the gamekeeper what to do ,the keeper told her that he would lay some poison down , she told him that she would prefer them to be trapped like her father used to do , Roy the keeper gave