Counties and General Insurance Company Ltd
The Counties and General Insurance Company was incorporated on 25 October 1909. In 1912, after failing to conform to the provisions of the 1909 Companies Act, the company was acquired by the Yorkshire Insurance Company Ltd, which became part of the General Accident Fire and Life Assurance Corporation Ltd in 1967.
Company History
Counties and General Insurance Company policy header
The company was originally proposed on non-tariff lines by James Turnbull, who became the first general manager and secretary. Three years later, it was offering fire, burglary, personal accident, third party, motor car, plate glass and canine insurance.
In 1912, the company was found to be in breach of the 1909 Companies Act; it was forced to stop transacting fire and accident business because it did not have the necessary £20,000 deposit. As a consequence, the company sold its direct business and goodwill to the Yorkshire. Under the purchase agreement, all Counties and General policies and those of its subsidiary, the Celtic Insurance Company Ltd, were guaranteed by the Yorkshire Insurance Company from June 24 1912.
The company went into liquidation on August 16 1912.
Key dates
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1909 | The company is established |
| 1912 | The company is acquired by the Yorkshire Insurance Company |
| 1912 | The company goes into liquidation |
| 1967 | The Yorkshire is acquired by the General Accident Fire and Life Assurance Corporation |
Subsidiaries and constituents*
| Year | Company name |
|---|---|
| 1907 - 1911 | Celtic Insurance Company Ltd |
* 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 |
|---|---|
| by 1911 - 1912 | Goldsmiths Hall, Newcastle |
Staff and officials
General Manager
| Year | Name |
|---|---|
| 1909 - 1911 | James Turnbull (also secretary) |
| 1911 - 1912 | Mr Seth Clark (also secretary) |
Secretary
| Year | Name |
|---|---|
| 1909 - 1911 | James Turnbull (also general manager) |
| 1911 | T Green |
| 1911 - 1912 | Seth Clark (also general manager) |
Directors (1911)
- J Alfred Lowes
- J J Gilbertson
- Martin F Holliday
- J Reginald Collins
- Samuel Wilson
- J T Chater Burn
- R Wilfrid Simpson
Home branches
- Norwich (by 1910)
- Glasgow (by 1910)
- Leeds (by 1910)
- London (1912)
Overseas branches
- Dublin, Ireland (1911)
In the archive
The Aviva archive contains records relating to the acquisition of the company by the Yorkshire Insurance Company (1910 - 1912).
