The Mercantile Accident & Guarantee Company Ltd of Glasgow
The Mercantile Accident & Guarantee Company was established by C Williamson Milne in 1885. The board comprised several of Glasgow’s leading insurers and the company was the first UK insurer to offer burglary insurance.
Company History
Mercantile Accident & Guarantee Company advertisement
The company commenced business in 1885 and, by the beginning of the following year, was offering general accident, fidelity guarantee and employers' liability insurance. The company's landmark burglary department was founded by F W Rutherford and started writing risks in June 1889. The department made £1,400 in premiums in its first year.
In 1891, the company suffered a large and crippling loss of a suspicious nature. The company collapsed and was acquired in the same year by the Scottish Alliance Insurance Company Ltd. In 1903, Scottish Alliance was acquired by the Union Assurance Society, which became a subsidiary of the Commercial Union Assurance Company Ltd in 1907.
Key dates
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1885 | The company is established |
| 1889 | The company starts transacting burglary business |
| 1891 | The company suffers a large loss and collapses |
| 1891 | The company is acquired by the Scottish Alliance Insurance Company |
| 1893 | The company goes into voluntary liquidation |
| 1903 | Scottish Alliance is acquired by the Union Assurance Society |
| 1907 | Union Assurance becomes a subsidiary of the Commercial Union Assurance Company |
Did you know...?
- Francis Norie-Miller, later of General Accident Fire and Life Assurance Corporation, worked for the company as assistant secretary between 1885 and 1887.
Head office premises
Glasgow
| Year | Address |
|---|---|
| 1885 - 1891 | 54 St Vincent Street (corner of Buchan Street) |
London
| Year | Address |
|---|---|
| 1885 - 1888 at least | 3 Abchurch Lane, King William Street |
| by 1890 - 1891 | 12 King Street, Cheapside |
Staff and officials
General manager and secretary
| Year | Name |
|---|---|
| 1885 – 1888 at least | C Williamson Milne |
| by 1890 – 1891 | Frederick W Rutherford |
London secretary
| Year | Name |
|---|---|
| 1885 - 1887 | Charles W Snell |
| 1887 - 1891 | H Gordon Scott |
Directors (1885)
- Walter Mackenzie (Director, Liverpool and London and Globe Fire Life Insurance Company)
- Alexander Wylie (Messrs. Wm. Stirling & Sons, Glasgow)
- James Bell ( Director, Life Association of Scotland)
- William Clark (Chairman, Scottish Boiler Insurance Company Ltd.)
- Walter Easton (Resident Secretary, Phoenix Fire Office Glasgow)
- Leonard Gow (Director, Alliance Life and Fire Assurance Company, and Scottish Imperial Life Assurance Company, Ltd.)
- Robert Laidlaw (Messrs. Laidlaw & Son, Engineers)
Home branches and agencies
- Liverpool (1885)
- Manchester (1885)
- Birmingham (1885)
- Newcastle-on-tyne (1885)
- Bristol (1885)
- Cardiff (1885)
- Edinburgh (1885)
- Belfast (1885)
- Aberdeen (1886)
- Dundee (1886)
- Leeds (1886)
- Nottingham (1886)
- Portsmouth (1886)
- Sheffield (1886)
- Swansea (1886)
- Hull (1886)
Overseas branches and agencies
Dublin, Ireland (1885)
In the archives
The Aviva archive contains advertisements relating to the Mercantile Accident & Guarantee Company between 1886 and 1890.
