Law Fidelity and General Insurance Corporation
The Law Fidelity and General Insurance Corporation was established on April 13 1891 as the London and Provincial Law Investment Corporation Ltd. Following heavy losses in 1900, the company entered into a working agreement with the General Accident Fire and Life Assurance Corporation Ltd, which fully acquired the company in 1909.
Company History
Law Investment and Insurance Corporation header from 1904
Law Fidelity and General Insurance Corporation header from 1905
In its first few years of business, changing priorities saw the company undergo a number of name changes. On January 14 1893, it became known as the Law Investment and Reinsurance Corporation Ltd and, on August 20 1897, it changed its name to the Law Investment and Insurance Corporation Ltd.
In 1897, the company commenced business as a re-insurer and, by 1900, was offering reinsurance for personal accident, license insurance, fidelity guarantee, casualty, cycle, insurance for mortgages, and burglary. Heavy losses in that year on indemnity risks on river barges and tugs led the company to enter into a working agreement with General Accident who appointed one of their own staff as company secretary.
On June 4 1903, the company changed its name again to the Law Fidelity and General Insurance Corporation Ltd. The following year, the company's plate glass business was transferred to the Northern Plate Glass Insurance Company, which later became part of General Accident.
In June 1906, the company transferred its direct home business to General Accident and, on August 9 1909, General Accident fully acquired the rest of the business. By 1914, the company was operating purely as an investment company and was finally liquidated on January 24 1921.
Key dates
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1891 | The company is established |
| 1893 | Name changes to the Law Investment and Reinsurance Corporation |
| 1897 | Name changes to the Law Investment and Insurance Corporation |
| 1897 | The company commences business as a re-insurer |
| 1900 | Heavy losses force the company into a working agreement with the General Accident Fire and Life Assurance Corporation |
| 1903 | Name changes to the Law Fidelity and General Insurance Corporation |
| 1904 | The company transfers its plate glass business to the Northern Plate Glass Insurance Company |
| 1906 | The company transfers its direct home business to General Accident |
| 1909 | General Accident fully acquires the rest of the business |
| 1921 | The company goes into liquidation |
Did you know...?
- Appointed in 1918, company secretary Florence McKim was one of the first women in the UK insurance industry to rise to such a high position.
- The company motto was
"Sapiens qui Prospicit" - "Wise is he who looks ahead".
Subsidiaries and constituents*
| Year | Company name |
|---|---|
| 1894 - 1899 | London and Provincial Cycle Insurance Corporation 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
London
| Year | Address |
|---|---|
| 1897 - 1903 | 9 Serle Street Lincoln's Inn |
| 1903 - 1910 | 59-62 Chancery Lane |
| 1910 - 1921 | General Buildings Aldwych Strand |
Staff and officials
Secretary and Manager
| Year | Name |
|---|---|
| 1897 - 1900 | J Garner Smith |
| Manager no longer listed | |
Secretary
| Year | Name |
|---|---|
| 1900 - 1902 | James Sevestre (a member of General Accident staff) |
| 1903 - 1905 | C H Grey |
| 1905 - 1909 | Frederick Richardson |
| 1909 - 1911 | J J Watson |
| 1911 - 1918 | J Duigan |
| 1918 - 1921 | Miss Florence Jean B McKim (interim secretary) |
Directors (1897)
- E Wollaston Knocker
- P H Pridham Wippell
- C Lemesle Adams
- Augustus Helder
- George E Lake
- William Pilcher
- G Pitt-Lewis
- C Locke Smiles
- George Wreford
Home branches
- London City (1897)
- Manchester (1897)
- Birmingham (1897)
- Belfast (1897)
- East London (1903)
- Liverpool (1903)
- Glasgow (1903)
- Peterborough (1904)
Overseas branches and agencies
New York, United States (1903)
In the archives
The Aviva archive contains records relating to the running of the Law Fidelity and General Insurance Corporation between 1891 and 1921. The collection includes minute books, annual reports and accounts, specimens and completed policies, proposal forms and liquidation papers.
