Accident Insurance Company Ltd (No. 2)
The second Accident Insurance Company was established in February 1870 as the City Accident Insurance Company Ltd following the merger of the Accident Insurance Company (No. 1) and the General Accident and Guarantee Company.
Company history
Accident Insurance Company prospectus
In March 1870, the company changed its name to the Accident Insurance Company Ltd. The company’s original business was insurance against railway accident, general accident, personal injuries and death by accidents. By 1903, it had expanded considerably and was undertaking accident and disease, employers’ liability, workmen’s compensation, plate glass, fidelity guarantee, third party, burglary and motor car insurance. By 1905, it had added fire and live stock insurance to its portfolio.
In 1906, the company was acquired by the Commercial Union Assurance Company Ltd.
Key Dates
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1870 | The company is established as the City Accident Insurance Company Ltd |
| 1870 | Name is changed to the Accident Insurance Company Ltd (No.2) |
| 1906 | The company is acquired by the Commercial Union Assurance Company |
Did you know...?
Accident Insurance Company calendar
- In 1882, the company paid out £42 17s 2d to a Norfolk Farmer who injured himself while dancing and £10 10s to a Stafford Timber Merchant injured in an “insect accident”.
- A list of casualties from 1883 includes a section for “out door accidents on the road, or in the street, through frost, storms, lightning, orange peel, reckless drivers, etc…”.
- As a young officer in the 4th Queen's Own Hussars, Winston Churchill took out a personal accident policy with the Accident Insurance Company Ltd (No.2). The policy covered accidental death for £1,000, with lesser benefits in the event of disablement.
Subsidiaries and constituents*
| Year | Company name |
|---|---|
| 1866 – 1870 | Accident Insurance Company Ltd (No. 1) |
| 1868 – 1870 | General Accident and Guarantee Company |
* Please note the first date given is the date of the establishment of the company and the second date is the date the company was acquired or became a subsidiary. Where only one date is given the company was established as a subsidiary of the parent company. Where one date is preceded by a hyphen the date of the establishment of the company is not known.
Head office premises
| Year | Address |
|---|---|
| 1870 – 1883 | 7 Bank Buildings, Lothbury, London |
| by 1885 – 1906 | St Swithins House, 10 St Swithins Lane, London |
Staff and officials
Secretary
| Year | Name |
|---|---|
| 1870 – mid 1870s | W H Scattergood |
| by 1879 – 1890 at least | E J Dent |
| by 1903 – 1906 | Thomas Potter |
Manager
| Year | Name |
|---|---|
| 1870 – 1872 | Cornelius Walford (also director) |
| 1872 – 1890 at least | Charles Harding |
| c1903 – 1906 | Thomas Potter |
Surgeon
| Year | Name |
|---|---|
| 1870 | Sir William Fergusson, surgeon to her majesty |
Assessor of Claims
| Year | Name |
|---|---|
| 1881 | Cornelius Walford |
| 1882 | Walter W Needham |
Directors (1872)
Accident Insurance Company policy header, 1898
- Henry Currey
- Edward Chatfield
- George Alin
- John Bennett
- Anthony Dillon
- Charles Henry Drive
- Admiral George Eliot
- Edwin G Fox
- Alfred Marsh
- J Sampson Pierce
- Henry Rance
- Alfred Smee
- F Warburton
- Cornelius Walford
Home branches and agencies
- Ashford (by 1903)
- Birmingham (by 1903)
- Bristol (by 1903)
- Brighton (by 1903)
- Cardiff (by 1903)
- Edinburgh (by 1903)
- Glasgow (by 1903)
- Ipswich (by 1903)
- Leeds (by 1903)
- Liverpool (by 1903)
- Manchester (by 1903)
- Plymouth (by 1903)
- Sunderland (by 1903)
- Sutton (by 1903)
Overseas branches and agencies
- Dublin, Ireland (by 1903)
In the archives
The Aviva archive contains records relating to the running of the second Accident Insurance Company between 1879 and 1905. The collection includes prospectuses and specimen policies.
Other resources
Records related to the second Accident Insurance Company can be accessed through the Guildhall Library.
