"The Famous Ratcatcher" is an English broadside ballad. It was included in the collection of broadside ballads by Samuel Pepys in the 17th century. The tune usually used for this song is also used for "Tom of Bedlam". A rat-catcher is a person who practices rat-catching as a professional form of pest control. Keeping the rat population under control was practiced in Europe to prevent the spread of diseases, most notoriously the Black Plague, and to prevent damage to food supplies. Ratcatchers were not considered upstanding characters as the behavior of this one clearly shows. It was recorded by The City Waites on Penny Merriments: Street Songs of 17th Century England (2005) and The Baltimore Consort on A Trip to Kilburn (1996).