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The Custard House Blake Lane

The answer must lay in the following pages . when aston border was as far as small heath.


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CUSTARD HOUSE FARM, GREEN LANES. [no ref. or date]


These documents are held at Birmingham City Archives


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Lease for forty two years from Joseph Scott of Birmingham, linen draper, to Ambrose Pearman of Birmingham, butcher, of a messuage and land called the Custard House Farm near a place called the Green Lanes in the parish of Aston. MS 3375/442479 5 March 1765

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Indenture of mortgage from Ambrose Pearman of the Green Lanes in the parish of Aston, butcher, to Rebecca Pritchett of Birmingham, widow, of a messuage and land called the Custard House Farm near the Green Lanes. MS 3375/442480 30 March 1709

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Assignment of lease from Ambrose Pearman of Green Lanes in the parish of Aston, butcher, to William Cressull of Birmingham, cordwainer, of a messuage and land called the Custard House Farm near Green Lanes. Endorsed with assignment, dated 27 October, 1779, from William Crussell [Cressull] then of [London] to David Hallen of Birmingham, frying pan maker, of the said property. MS 3375/442481 25 July, 1772

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Bond from Ambrose Pearman of Birmingham, butcher, to William Cressall of Birmingham, cordwainer, to secure performance of covenants. MS 3375/442482 25 July 1772

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Assignment of mortgage from Rebecca Pritchett of Birmingham, widow, by the direction of Ambrose Pearman of the Green Lanes in the parish of Aston, butcher, to David Allen of Birmingham, frying pan maker, of a messuage and land called the Custard House Farm near the Green Lanes. MS 3375/442483 5 December 1772

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Bond from Ambrose Pearman of the Green Lanes in the parish of Aston, butcher, to David Hallen of Birmingham, frying pan maker, to secure performance of covenants. MS 3375/442484 5 December 1772

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Indenture between Ambrose Pearman of the Green Lanes in the parish of Aston, butcher, and David Hallen of Birmingham, frying pan maker, being a further charge upon a messuage and land called the Custard House Farm near the Green Lanes. MS 3375/442485 2 November 1773

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Lease for seventeen and a half years, less three days, from Mary Haden of Erdington, spinster, to John Tonks of Erdington, farmer, of a messuage and land called the Custard House Farm near a place called the Green Lanes in the parish of Aston. MS 3375/442486 24 September 1789

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Assignment from John Boylestone Hallen of Birmingham, gent., to Mary Haden of Erdington, spinster, of a messuage and land called the Custard House Farm near a place called the Green Lanes in the parish of Aston. MS 3375/442487 7 November 1789
 
On the 1851 census this family are living there.


Name Relationship Mar Age Sex Occupation Birthplace
Allen EVERETT Head M 61 M Brasswire & Tube Maker Birmingham-War
Maria EVERETT Wife M 50 F --- Birmingham-War
William EVERETT Son U 20 M Clerk to His Father Handsworth-Stf
Eliza EVERETT Daur U 18 F --- Birmingham-War
Helen EVERETT Daur U 16 F --- Birmingham-War
Charles EVERETT Son U 22 M Solicitor London-Msx
Maria MORRELL Serv U 33 F House Servant Alvechurch-Wor
Charlotte EHESTON Serv U 20 F House Servant Exeter-Dev
Thomas GENT Serv U 34 M Groom & Gardener Appleby-Lec
Address: Green Lanes Custard House, Aston
Census Place: Aston Aston, Warwickshire
PRO Reference: HO/107/2060 Folio: 673 Page: 23 FHL Film: 0087316
 
Colin, That's absolutely perfect. Thank you very much. I'm extremely grateful for the plan, and also for the link, which I can assure you will be of tremendous use. Thank you.
I have written to the hon. secretary of the Small Heath Local History Society asking whether she - or one of their members - could add further information to our enquiries. I will of course post any relevant facts that I may receive as soon as something comes through.
I now believe that the "Apple Theory" is the most plausible. But I think the original Custard House was the large, tree-surrounded building a short distance away from the corner. Thanks to mikejee (Post #19), we know that the house on the corner was called "The Laurels". I believe the 1890 map uses the name "Custard House" more for the crossroads than a particular house. The large, imposing building marked "Lawn: House" in your post #51 is far more likely - in my opinion - to be the true, original Custard House.
brummie nick, Welcome aboard. Have you the means to go back further in time or add any other occupiers of the house? Thank you, David (db84124)
 
Question occurs to me, any way of finding out what was there before the House/Farm ?

could it be that it was named after the place ?
 
It will good db to find out about all the farms and the growth of birmingham into this area. look forward to what you find out. if anything turns up on my searches i shall put it on here.
colin
 
Re: The Custard House, Blake Lane

Another very useful map, Colin, but it doesn't show the detail of the one you sent in in Post #51.
Interesting to note that this map - dated 1885 - quite definitely shows a building named "Custard House" right on the corner ; but we know from mikejee (Post #19) that in 1883/4 the corner house was called "The Laurels" and that unfortunately in 1880 the area is not included in the Birmingham directory. Even in 1885, the corner is just beyond the proposed extension to the boundary of the borough of Birmingham.
Was there a directory for Yardley, or perhaps Warwickshire, which a member has access to?
By the way, Colin, where in Italy does your daughter live?

col h, absolutely fascinating to think that we are closing in - completely independently - on a very similar conclusion. Post #47 (#48) makes very interesting reading. Thank you. David
 
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Re: The Custard House, Blake Lane

Colin, having had a half-hour break from my fatherly chores, I've just been re-reading your Post #50. There is an obviously strong association between "Green Lanes" and "Green Lane" and your various excellent maps bearing the name "Custard House" in that very area. But if all the documents mentioned in Post #50 are held by Birmingham authorities because the land/properties were in the parish of Aston - I am fully aware that Aston's boundary extended to what is now Small Heath - why, on the 1885 map, was the Custard House outside the city limits? To me it seems contradictory: is it possible that the City Archives holds the official deeds/leases for an area which was outside the City's jurisdiction ???? David
 
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Re: The Custard House, Blake Lane

Morning all,
These are from the 1867 Post Office directory, there is no mention of Hobmoor Road.
 
The Custard House, Blake Lane

Good morning John,
Now that is very interesting! If you look down the first, long, 1867 list, there is a house called "The Laurels" which is at least a street/road away from Blake Lane.
Yet in 1883/84 there was a house of the same name on the Yardley (Green) Road/ Hobmoor Road corner (Post #19). Is it possible that there were two houses with identical names in the same area? The name was the only means of identification before numbering came in later that century or at the beginning of the 1900s (please see mikejee's Post #4 in the thread "The Olives, Blake Lane "). Very strange ??!?
Is it just possible that, at that time, a house owner transferred a house's name to his new abode a little like keeping a certain telephone number today?
Surprising the number of surgeons, doctors and physicians appearing on various lists in that small area.
Have a good journey up to Birmingham - drive carefully. Best wishes, David

Copy_of_Post_Office_Directory_1867_28a29.jpg
 
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Hobmoor road seems to have come into existence between 1868 and 1872, as can be seen from this extract from the 1872 directory for the same length of road. The laurels seem to be in about the same place.
Mike
 
I'll never cease to be amazed at what the members of the Forum are capable of !!! Where on earth did you find these, Colin? If only the word "wood" on the third map (Map 15) were "orchard", we would be a step in the right direction to solving this enigma. Let's all keep up the excellent work! David
 
The Custard House, Blake Lane

Good morning all,
As I wrote in Post #53, a few days ago I sent a letter to the hon. secretary of the Small Heath Local History Society who very kindly passed it on to her daughter, Dr Chris Shelley. Yesterday I received a lengthy reply to my enquiry regarding the origin of the strange pub name “The Custard House” from Dr Shelley and I have had her permission to post her interesting reply in its entirety; please see the attachment.

There are two or three things which I would like to discuss with Dr Shelley but due to my heavy family commitments during a hectic February, I am unable to ask her opinion on a number of observations at present. I will willingly leave Dr Shelley’s additional information in your capable hands for discussion and comment.
Hoping to be in touch shortly – best wishes, David


View attachment The Custard House (improved).doc
 
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Brill db
i think that explanation sounds perfect and matches all the findings that keep coming up.
colin
 
Thinking about the custard house pub as would have been an orchard. They probably grew the costard cooking apple as these were very large apples and with the rib down them . i think if i,m not mistaken these were more widley availble than the bramleys we tend to get today.
 
Re: The Custard House, Blake Lane

Yes, Colin, you're quite right. We established in Post #34 that "the (Martin's Custard ) apple is (was?) much grown in the orchards conterminous with Northamptonshire and Leicestershire". Please see :
https://web.ukonline.co.uk/suttonelms/martins-custard.html
If the custard apple was so diffuse in Northamptonshire and Leicestershire, why not in Warwickshire?. In fact “conterminous” means “bordering” so Warwickshire would be a county in which the custard apple was “much grown”.
The doubt we're working on now is the true position of the original Custard House. I don't believe the orchard was in Blake Lane - although I personally, in the late '50s, can well remember there having been apple trees in the pub's "garden". I think it's beyond doubt that the pub took its name from a tavern which was in the same position on at least two 19th century maps. I believe the original Custard House was 300 yards away, in the corner between Yardley (now Yardley Green) Road and Hobmoor Road and its name was “recycled” when the first Custard House was demolished in about 1900.
It's likely that the Custard House near the corner between Yardley Road and Hobmoor Road in turn took its name from the Custard House Farm; or did it? Why wasn't the farm called simply “Custard Farm”? Having thought this through, I think it's far more likely that the Custard House Farm was named after a house which had been called the “Custard House” even before the farm bore the name.
So now – for the above logic – I maintain that the name was reused several times:

Custard House [FONT=Times New Roman, serif]→‪Custard House Farm→Custard House (corner)→Custard House Tavern→Custard House (pub)[/FONT]

We know that the building wasn't on the corner between Yardley Green Road and Hobmoor Road because in 1883/84 the house which occupied that position was called “The Laurels”.
Kind regards, David
 
Hi david
If you look at the maps i posted . the area was split on blake lane. The border came up new bridge road ( yardley fields) and then turned right and split blake lane into two seperate areas.
So the first custard house pub would have been in little bromwich. And i believe little bromwich was given to a lords dughter from castle bromwich. These were all related to the original lord Bermingham from the 1400s. I have been tracing them but they do not show blake lane or hobmoor road as any importance . up until 1850 it was all farms but then the lord of the manor started selling because industrial birmingham was getting close.
colin
 
Havent got a clue what the connection might be, but istnt the top of Blake la/ Green La the highest point for miles around ?
 
Yep i think it is 200m above sea level Thats why they built the old chest brach there.
 
I believe you're right, Colin. My father, who knew the Bordesley Green, Small Heath, Little Bromwich area exceptionally well - virtually house-to-house (not, he wasn't a burglary!!) - often said what you have just stated. And from my cycling days, I remember the stretch of Yardley Green Road between the Methodist Church (Blake Lane) and the Samson and Lion (Blakeland Street) was always a relief to reach because it was a gentle roll in any direction you wanted to go from there.
Wealthy people who could afford prime positions for their homes often chose the highest point for its imposing location and commanding view. We already know the old Custard House was a very important landmark simply because it was included on several 19th century maps.
Let's please keep “pooling” all available information as the smallest of clues could jog the memories of other Forum members. We have already got far, far further than previous efforts in cracking this strange name. David
 
Thursday was a great night upstairs in the 1980s. The disco was great I made a lot of good friends.:encouragement:
 
i have just come across this thread.i have been looking into family history and found a copy of a lease agreement from mary haden spinster to john tonks farmer of a  messuage and land called the custard house farm near a place called the green lanes dated 24th september 1789,the tonks mentioned would be family members.i also found a lease agreement to do with another family member thomas tonks farmer of green lanes who leased part of his land for an addition to yardley church yard dated 24th may 1833.soz if i bore just get carried away.it may be the wrong custard house.Deb
 
Re: The Custard House, Blake Lane

Hello there, Deb,
I don't think it is a different "Custard House". It's such an unusual name that I think it must be the one on the Bordesley Green/ Small Heath border.
Here's a map of the area in 1890; you can see the Custard House (Custard Ho) at the junction of the four named roads. The present Custard House pub in Blake Lane - not Street, as in the original title to the tread - is entitled "Custard House Tavern".

1890 Birmingham - Warwickshire.jpg

I have also encircled "Green Lane Farm" to illustrate the intense farming carried out in this part of what is now Birmingham until the end of the 19th century.
In the area beneath the writing "Little Bromwich", there are now the three streets called Second, Third, and Fourth Avenue. First Avenue is just off the left-hand side of the map.
"Yardley church yard" would probably refer to Yardley Old Church (St Edburgha's), which is little more than 1½ miles away down the Yardley Green Road.
Thank you for contributing to and, hopefully, bringing to life this fascinating thread.
David
 
john knight said:
Hi David,
We were there at the same time!, I lived off the Hobmoor Road (Fosbrooke Road) between 1953-1965.
I always used the Custard House and played snooker there 3 times a week, me and my mate Jimmy Cooke used to go out with the gaffers daughters, but sadly he had a heart attack one
Sunday morning and died, we never saw them again.
Small world eh.
Click to expand...

Hi, do you recall someone who worked at Bennetts Butcher Shop and often drank at the Custard House?
 
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