Henry lane made giant rabbit traps to protect miners?

[GECKO]

Being a bit of an old rabbit trap collector i have many of my grandads old rabbit traps, i recently found a weird name on a few of them so looked up a bit of history on what brands had been made in Australia, the most common brand is lanes ace and i came across this photo so i looked up why these got made insted, henry lane made these giant traps that he claimed were being made to be sent to England to trap lions, typically people questioned his claim as they knew there were no lions in England, there was no animals in England that traps of this size where needed to catch, the traps were actually made to capture a large animal that was terrorizing gold prospectors here in Australia! Im not sure on how true this story is but why else would an Australian company make traps this big if we dont have animals that requires traps this big to catch either? Someone obviously knew something!

[Bluedog]

interesting photo Gecko, cheerful looking lot arnt they. It makes sense that Henry Lane would have been making these extra large traps to be sent to England and then on to Africa to be used to trap lions. possibly some even found there way to India to trap tigers, anywhere really that the English empire had an interest at the time and there was large game to be trapped. one of these large traps would be a great addition to your collection.
I done some rabbit trapping as a kid and i cant imagine trying to set one of these!

[Muser]

Believe it or not...traps of this size were used as man traps. It seems they were used to protect food depots. Miners used them to protect their claims also. In England they were used to stop poachers. Using them was outlawed in1880. Here's an article on traps...


https://www.smh.com.au/national/snap-ju ... djxkp.html


Snap - just another trap for the wall.


Rabbit traps, dingo traps, bird traps, beetle traps, fish traps, rat traps, bear traps, man traps - they've all trapped Bruce Sharpe.

And he is not the only Australian to be gripped by the mean metal jaws that were once such a feature of rural life.

With their use now banned in NSW, traps have become trendy trinkets and in some cases very expensive collectors' items. Building a collection of Bunyip, Bailup, Mulga, Platypus, Empire, Buzzard and Jackeroo rabbit traps is an obsession aided by eBay and a bimonthly newsletter for a growing group of people.


Mr Sharpe owns Comeroo Station, a vast grazing property out the back of Bourke and a 12-hour drive from Sydney.

The long journey did not dissuade about 40 collectors from attending a "swap meet" there earlier this year. "About $12,000 changed hands in an hour and a half," Mr Sharpe said.


Kenny Ferguson is expecting up to 90 people at his swap meet in Mildura this month. Mr Ferguson's interest in traps stems from the fact his father and grandfather were rabbit trappers.

"I have worn out two bloody Nissan Patrols chasing them," he said of the collection on which he estimates he has spent $30,000 to $40,000. Others, he believes, have spent much, much more.

When Darol Walsgott first published his guide to the rabbit and dog traps of Australia three years ago he identified about 1500 different types but has since discovered 350 more.


Most were imported from England until Henry Lane and Company set up in Newcastle about 1919. In the 1940s, he said, Lane's made more than a million rabbit and dog traps a year.

"Ninety-eight to 99 out of every hundred rabbit traps you will find are a Lane's Ace because they were a very good trap."


While a Lane's Ace is only worth a few dollars, Mr Walsgott said the most expensive rabbit trap he knew of - a J. Roberts Black's Patent - went for $1100. "These trap-collectors are pretty fanatical I can tell you."

Mr Walsgott said there was a collector in Bombala who could identify the years different Lane's Aces were made from the shape of their rivets - "he will bore you for hours on that subject".

Mr Sharpe has about 1300 different traps. The most spectacular are two massive man traps. He said man traps were commonly used on the Australian frontier to protect things like food depots from Aborigines.


He has one that came from Hill End, where it was used by miners to protect their claim. Another is from England, where using man traps to stop poachers on the estates of the gentry was outlawed in 1880.

[GECKO]

Stuff being the poor fella that had to set them, imagine setting the plate and latch then slowly releasing your weight hoping it doesn't slam shut.. even some old rabbit traps are buggers..