This sprawling farmhouse was the first property built on the southern side of Meeting House Lane. It was built by Susannah Hiatt between 1826 and 1838 on land enclosed from the old common. For most of its life the house known in later years as Laburnum House was owned by just two families: the Hiatt / Bates and Elson families.

Early Years

The land on which Laburnum House would be built was reclaimed from the old Balsall Common. In 1808, the Enclosure Commission awarded this parcel of 3 roods and 9 perches (no. 22 on the Enclosure Map) to the Docker family, who lived over the road in the cottage today known as Emscote (85 Meeting House Lane) and farmed the surrounding land.

In 1826, William Docker sold his cottage and farm, including the newly-inclosed parcel over the road, to Susannah Hiatt, a widow from the neighbouring parish of Stoneleigh. By the time of her own death in 1838, Susannah had built a farmhouse on the new enclosure, where she lived with her daughter, also Susannah, and her family: husband William Bates, and their children Henry Hiatt Bates and Mary Ann Bates.

After Susannah senior’s death in 1838, the farm and its estate was inherited by her two grandchildren. The 1839 Tithe Apportionment records the Homestead & Garden (no. 956) all owned by Henry and Mary Ann, along with the four ancient fields belonging to Emscote (958-9, 962-3), Emscote itself (961), and two smaller parcels of recent enclosure (957, 960). The 1841 census shows Henry, a 30-year-old farmer as head of a family that also included his parents William and Susanna and his younger sister Mary.

The House Divided

William and Susanna Bates died during the 1840s and in October 1847 Henry married Mary Ann Chaslin at nearby Allesley. Henry and Mary Ann had no children and a lot of debt, so they divided the farmhouse in two and rented out the slightly larger half. In 1861, the tenants were William Iliffe, a master baker from Leicestershire, and his family, but by 1865 the Iliffes had returned to Coventry and been replaced by another baker, Eli Elson from Northamptonshire. The Elson family would remain at the farmhouse for another 75 years.

In 1871 Henry Hiett Bates‘ many mortgages finally caught up with him and he sold the estate to Dennis Barnes, an auctioneer from Coventry. The deeds held at Warwickshire County Record Office describe the site of the farmhouse built by Susannah Hiatt, which has been ‘lately divided into two messuages’.¹ The newspaper announcement of the sale provides a more detailed description of the two dwellings, showing that the Elsons’ home was well set up for a bakery business:

1. The House occupied by Mr Elson comprises entrance hall, two parlours, fitted with register grates and dwarf cupboards, cellar, larder, kitchen, and three chambers. Also, a detached bakehouse and large oven, with flour room over. There is a stable, coach-house, harness room, piggeries, necessary outbuildings, capital pump and well of water, and large garden, and yard. These premises are let on a repairing lease to Mr Elson for a term of years, at an annual rent of £6. The lease expires on the 1^st January, 1878.
2. The House occupied by Mr Bates comprises entrance hall, parlour, kitchen, dairy, cellar, larder, store room, and three chambers, there is a large yard, stabling for two horses, harness room, shedding for seven cows, cart shed, piggeries, necessary outbuildings, and capital well of water.²

The Elson family

Eli and Susannah Elson stayed at the farmhouse until the mid-1880s, when they returned to Northamptonshire. They were replaced by eldest son Fred, a baker like his father, and his wife Mary Jane, who would remain there for the rest of their lives. Fred soon expanded his business, taking on premises at the top of Meeting House Lane (today’s Michael’s Drinks World) where in addition to baking he was a corn merchant and confectioner.

Both Eli and Fred Elson were active in the community as Oddfellows and Wesleyan preachers; Fred was also a member of the Meriden Board of Guardians and Berkswell Parish Council. Local newspaper articles often describe how the family opened up their gardens and fields to local organisations, such as teas for the village girls’ May Day parade and the Balsall Wesleyan Sunday School in 1907 or a Boys’ Brigade camp for more than 50 boys in 1920.⁴

Laburnum House, its tennis lawn, kitchen garden, farm buildings and five enclosures of land were sold off after Fred Elson’s death in July 1940. The house remained until 1983, when it was demolished and replaced with three modern houses called ‘The Laburnums’ (nos. 96-100 Meeting House Lane).⁵

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Laburnum House Timeline

Date	Details	Source
12 May 1808	Heirs of James Docker awarded enclosure of 3R 9P on Balsall Heath (no. 22 on enclosure map)	Enclosure Award
22 May 1826	Conveyance of house and land, including enclosure of 3R 9P (above) from William Docker to Susannah Hiatt	Warwick CRO CR 2660/8
1830	Widow Hiatt (16 shillings)	Land Tax
13 Oct. 1838	Death of Susannah Hiatt	Probate
1839	956: Homestead & Garden (1A 22P) owned by Henry Hiatt Bates and Mary Ann Bates; occupied by Henry Hiatt Bates	Tithe Apportionment
6 Jun 1841	Berkswell Common: Henry BATES (30, farmer) William BATES (50) Susannah BATES (50) Mary BATES (25)	Census
30 Mar 1851	Meeting House Lane: Henry Hyatt BATES. h. mar. 39. Farmer of 37 acres. Stoneleigh WAR Mary Ann. w. 36. Allesley WAR William Henry BROWN. Nephew. 10. Scholar. Coventry James BROWN. Nephew. 8. Scholar. Coventry David HUNSCOTE. serv. 16. Berkswell	Census
7 Apr 1861	Meeting House Lane: William ILIFFE. h. 57. Baker. Peetling Parva, Leics Sarah. w. 58. Master baker’s wife. Berkswell William Enoch. s. 26. ” ” son and assistant. Coventry Ann STALEY. daur & visitor. mar. 32. Thomas F STALEY. gs. 2. Bedworth Frances S STALEY. gd. 9m. Bedworth Thomas ARNOLD. serv. 15. Domestic servant. Stoneleigh Catherine FARRAR. serv. unm. 17. Domestic nurse. Berkswell / Henry Hiatt BATES. h. mar. 49. Farmer 25 acres employing 1 boy. Stoneleigh Mary Ann. w. 47. Farmer’s wife. Allesley Arthur PARKER. serv. 13. Farm servant. Berkswell	Census
4 Jan. 1871	Conveyance from Henry Hiatt BATES and mortgagees to Dennis G BARNES	Warks CRO CR2660/9
2 Apr 1871	Eli ELSON. h. mar. 33. Baker, Wesleyan Local Preacher. Northants Warmington Susannah. w. 31. ” ” Nessington Fred J. s. 8. Scholar. ” ” Yowell Joseph. s. 7. ” ” ” “ Annie. d. 5. ” “. Berkswell Martha E. d. 2. ” “ Thomas ARNOLD. apprencite. 16. Bakers Apprentice. ” “ Mary GREEN. serv. unm. 19. Domestic Serv. Meriden // Henry Hiatt BATES. h. mar. 60. Farmer of 16 acres, 1 man. Berkswell Mary Ann. w. 57. Farmer’s wife. Allesley	Census
1876	Lease between Dennis BARNES and Eli ELSON of property in Berkswell [including Laburnum House]	Warks CRO CR1709/16
1 May 1880	Conveyance of a freehold estate at Berkswell by devisees of Dennis George BARNES to Mrs Martha KNAPP	Warks CRO CR2660/17
3 Apr 1881	Readers Lane Eli ELSON. h. 42. Baker. Warmington Susannah. w. 40. Baker’s wife. Nessington Fred W. s. 18 Baker. Yarwell. Joseph. s. 17. Baker. ” “ Annie. d. 15. Scholar. Berkswell Martha E. d. 12. Scholar. Margaret? E. d. 3. Scholar.	Census
5 Apr 1891	Meetinghouse Lane: Fred W ELSON. H. 28. Baker & Corn Dealer. Yarwell Mary J. w. 29. Wroxhall Arthur. Cousin. 18. Baker’s assistant. Warmington George FITTER. Servant. 17. Baker’s apprentice. Berkswell Sarah A GASCOYNE. 15? Genl domestic servant. Berkswell	Census
1 Apr 1901	4 rooms: Fred W ELSON. h. 38. Baker & Corn dealer (employer). Yarwell Mary J. w. 36. Wroxall Elizabeth A LIDGATE. sister in law. single. 31. Farmer’s daughter. Chadwick End Arthur ELSON. cousin. single. 28. Baker (worker). Warmington James H ELLIOTT. serv. single. 25. ” ” (worker). Staffs Tamworth	Census
2 Apr 1911	9 rooms: Fred William ELSON. h. 48. Baker, confectioner & corn merchant (employer). Yarwell Mary Jane. w. 49. Married 22 years, no children. Wroxall Elizabeth Ann LIDGATE. wife’s sister. 46. Single. Assist in House Duties. Chadwick End Laura Nellie WEBB. adopted daughter. 17. Single. Assists in business (worker, at home). Leicester Annie May HOWELL. cousin (visitor). 33. Single. Assist in house duties. Warmington	Census
19 Jun 1921	Meeting House Lane: Fred William ELSON. h. 58-9. Yarwell. Baker, Confectioner, Corn Merchant (employer), Station Road Berkswell. Mary Jane. w. 59. Wroxall. Home Duties Laura Nellie WEBB. adopted daughter. 26-5. Single. Leicester. Shop assistant for Fred W ELSON, Station Rd, Berkswell, Baker & Confectioner	Census
Jun. 1939	Death of Mary Jane Elson	Newspaper obituary6
29 Sep. 1939	Meeting House Lane: Fred W ELSON. 16 Sep. 1862. Baker & Corn merchant. Laura R BRUSH. 15 Jan. 1894. Unpaid domestic duties. [2 closed]	1939 Register
Jul. 1940	Death of Fred W Elson	Newspaper obituary7
Sep. 1940	Sale of contents; sale of Laburnum House	Newspaper8

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1. Warks CRO, CR 2660/9. Conveyance from Henry Hiatt BATES to Dennis G BARNES. 4 January 1871. ↩︎
2. Coventry Standard, 23 Sep. 1870: 1. ↩︎
3. The postcard was sent in September 1913 by Fred Elson’s cousin Shadrach Howell and his wife Kate to a friend in Coventry. ↩︎
4. ‘May Day in Warwickshire,’ Coventry Herald, 3 May 1907: 8; ‘Sunday School Treat,’ Coventry Herald, 6 Sep. 1907: 7; Coventry Evening Telegraph, 25 Aug. 1920: 2. ↩︎
5. ‘The Laburnums,’ Coventry Evening Telegraph, 9 Feb. 1984: 41. ↩︎
6. ‘Death of Mrs MJ Elson,’ Coventry Standard, 10 Jun. 1939: 3. ↩︎
7. ‘Death of Mr FW Elson,’ Coventry Standard, 6 Jul. 1940: 7. Includes a portrait. ↩︎
8. Coventry Evening Telegraph, 7 Sep. 1940: 6; Coventry Standard, 14 Sep. 1940: 6. ↩︎