Lion Insurance Company
The Lion Insurance Company was established in London and Paris in 1879 as the Anglo-French Fire Insurance Company Ltd. The company was formed to take over the portfolios of six or seven French offices in Alsace-Lorraine and to transact fire insurance in England and France.
Company History
Lion Fire Insurance Company policy
In 1879, the company changed its name to the Lion Fire Insurance Company Ltd and, in 1880, was renamed the Lion Insurance Company Ltd. In the same year, a sister company, the Lion Life Insurance Company Ltd, was established. In 1888, when the French arm of the company was liquidated, it was recorded that
"a bugbear disappears at length from the annual records of the company".
On January 1 1902, the company was acquired by the Yorkshire Insurance Company Ltd and was dissolved in 1913. The Yorkshire became part of the General Accident Fire and Life Assurance Corporation Ltd in 1967.
Key dates
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1879 | The company is established |
| 1879 | Name changes to the Lion Fire Insurance Company |
| 1880 | Name changes to the Lion Insurance Company |
| 1880 | A sister company, the Lion Life Insurance Company, is established |
| 1902 | The company is acquired by the Yorkshire Insurance Company |
| 1913 | The company is dissolved |
| 1967 | The Yorkshire becomes part of the General Accident Fire and Life Assurance Corporation |
Did you know...?
- The company's policy header was designed by the famous French artist Rosa Bonheuers
Subsidiaries and constituents*
| Year | Company name |
|---|---|
| 1879 - 1879 | Britannia Home & Colonial |
* 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 |
|---|---|
| 1879 - 1881 | 31 Lombard Street |
| 1881 - 1886 | 5 Lothbury London |
| 1887 - 1902 | 84 Queen Charlotte Street Cheapside |
Head office premises
Paris
| Year | Address |
|---|---|
| 1879 - c1888 | 49 rue Taitbout |
Staff and officials
General Manager
| Year | Name |
|---|---|
| by 1880 - 1885 | Charles Beddall |
| 1885 - 1895 at least | Thomas B Bell |
Manager and Secretary
| Year | Name |
|---|---|
| 1879 - 1880 | Mr J D Kennedy |
| 1880 - 1885 | J B Davison |
| 1885 - 1895 at least | Thomas B Bell |
| by 1900 - 1902 | F E Booker |
Thomas B Bell
Lion Fire Insurance Company policy
English directors (1879)
- Hon. Evelyn Ashly
- Charles Eley
- James Staats Forbes
- Lord Claud John Hamilton
- Allan Morrison
- Lord Norreys
- Arthur John Otway
- Sir Philip Rose
- Hon. Edward G Strutt
- John Staniforth
France directors (1879)
- Vicomte de Champeaux -Verneuil
- Comte de Circourt
- Antoine Conte
- O Depeyre
- Leopold de Gaillard
- A Gautray
- Baron Jorant
- Monsieur Lavedan
- P Amedee Pichot
- Leon Riant
- Richard Vacheron
Overseas branches and agencies
- Paris, France (1879)
- Hartford, Connecticut United States (1880)
- St Petersburg, Russia (1883)
- Pacific Coast United States (by 1902)
- Calcutta, India (by 1902)
- Nagasaki Japan (by 1902)
- Melbourne, Australia (by 1902)
- Alexandria Egypt (by 1902)
- Dublin, Ireland (by 1902)
- Montreal, Canada (by 1902)
- Adelaide, Australia (by 1902)
- Bangkok, Thailand (by 1902)
- Manila, Philippines (by 1902)
- Copenhagen, Denmark (by 1900)
- Hong Kong (by 1902)
- Singapore (by 1902)
- Newfoundland, Canada (by 1902)
- Batavia (Jakarta), Indonesia (by 1902)
- Bremen, Germany (by 1902)
In the archives
The Aviva archive contains records relating to the running of the Lion Insurance Company between 1880 and 1903. The collection includes board minutes, fire policies, acquisition files, salary registers and a copy prospectus.
