In 1951 the church mice resident at All Saints Church, Kington Magna, in north Dorset bit off more than they could chew when they set about the Rector’s church records. In the parish magazine the reverend gentleman put out an urgent appeal for good old-fashioned mousetraps, adding that he would provide the cheese from his own meagre rations. Post war rationing of food was still in force and the Rector’s sacrifice attracted the attention of a local newspaper reporter and it was not long before the national press took an interest in the Rector’s plight and interest did not stop there: the Rector, the mice and All Saints Church were making headlines in Canada, Australia and the United States.
From all over the country letters poured into the parish with advice on how to deal with the rodents without using the Rector’s precious cheese rations. One lady offered the loan of three kittens and the Bishop of Montana in the USA sent two mousetraps and four packets of American cheese compound. One day a Marshall (sorry, a Rodent Control Officer) strode into the village. Most of the mice took the measure of the man, but a few stayed and were eliminated; the majority packed a suitcase and headed for Dorchester, where they had heard there was potentially an enormous feast to be had at the Dorset Record Office!
