The Sunderland rat catcher who ate snails as a delicacy

Here's the story of a man who might well hold the title of Wearside's most colourful character.

Tom Newton was his name but he went by the nickname of Galvanic after a run-in with an electric machine.

But that's not how Tom rose to local fame. His prowess for catching rats - and eating snails - was his forte.

Thanks to Sunderland Antiquarian Society for the story.

This veritable pied piper lived just along from Fulwell railway crossing in an old cottage.

On a summers evening, the old chap would take the air with his missus, chatting with his neighbours and those who rode the LNER line past his tiny abode.

During the day however, Galvanic would make his way to the docks, riverside or the crumbling old mansions of town.

He kept Sunderland's rat population under control in his own unique way.

Galvanic got his strange nickname down at the old market, where one of the showmen had installed an electric galvanic machine.

A ha'penny for an electric shock

Punters, encouraged by their mates, paid their ha'penny and grabbed the metal handles not knowing what to expect.

What they got for their coppers was a couple of hundred volts that just about rattled their bones clean out their skin.

But Tom Newton, unable to let loose his grip as the current flowed through his body, almost wrenched the machine from its mountings in order to escape.

The nickname stayed with him forever

The nickname would stay with him for the rest of his life. Galvanic the rat Catcher‟ was born.

Often seen in the East End, clad in brown overalls, the Rat Catcher would be accompanied by his Jack Russell, and often a couple of canine apprentices too.

Over his shoulder would be slung a wriggling sack of live rats, and kids would eagerly follow their hero on his rounds.

Locals could never understand how Tom could dip his hand into the sack and never get bitten.

Fulwell snails for supper

Another strange quirk of Galvanic the Rat Catcher, was his love of snails.

He would collect them from the railway embankment near to his home, where months of munching on the fine plants that grew there would ensure that they were as fat and juicy as any our French cousins found on their dinner plates.

Suitably boiled and seasoned, the rat catcher would enjoy his well earned supper after a hard days graft.

Galvanic knew all about hard graft and was known to catch about 2000 rats a year.

Find out more about the society

Our thanks to Sunderland Antiquarian Society for their invaluable help.

Find out more about the society by getting along to its Heritage Centre which is open in Douro Terrace on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 9.30am to 12pm.

You can also visit the Antiquarian Society’s Facebook page or its website which is at http://www.sunderland-antiquarians.org

And to apply to become a member, email [email protected]