The Norwich Union Life Insurance Company Ltd
The Norwich Union Life Insurance Company was established in 1808 as a mutual life insurer. The company was originally known as the Norwich Union Society (or Union Office) for Insurances on Lives and Survivorships. It was incorporated on May 10 1893 when it changed its name to the Norwich Union Life Insurance Society.
Company History
Norwich Union Life Insurance Society policy header, 1880s
Norwich Union advertisement, 1990s
Norwich Union Life Insurance Society prospectus for India, depicting Surrey House
Norwich Union endowment policy advertisement, 1969
Samuel Bignold, Secretary, 1852
Sir Samuel Bignold, Conservative nomination notice, 1894
Norwich Union Rowing Club, 1928
Marble Hall, Surrey House, 1920s
Norwich Union Almanac, 1866
On June 16 1997, the company was renamed the Norwich Union Life Insurance Company Ltd. On 21 February 2000, Norwich Union plc, the holding company, announced that it was merging with CGU plc to form CGNU plc, which was rebranded as Aviva plc in July 2002. Norwich Union Life was registered as dormant on December 23 2003.
Key dates
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1808 | The company is established |
| 1893 | Name changes to the Norwich Union Life Insurance Society |
| 1997 | Name changes to the Norwich Union Life Insurance Company |
| 2000 | Norwich Union merges with CGU to form CGNU |
| 2002 | CGNU is rebranded as Aviva in July |
| 2003 | The company is registered as dormant |
Did you know...?
- In 1823, the company insured then well-known actor and comedian Robert William Elliston.
- In 1842, a life policyholder who was sentenced to transportation to Australia drowned on the voyage out. The policyholder had his policy declared void on the grounds that he had not first secured the company's
"licence to travel".
- In 1848, company president Isaac Jermy was murdered on the doorstep of his house, Stanfield Hall, by one of his tenants, James Blomfield Rush. Rush was later hanged and company staff were given the day off to watch the hanging.
- William Palmer, known as the Rugeley Poisoner and the first person in Britain to be tried for murder by strychnine, was insured by the company. Palmer was hanged in 1856.
- Norwich Cathedral first appeared as a company trade mark in 1877. It was used in various forms over the years, and the cathedral spire was an inspiration for part of the new corporate mark following the merger with CGU in 2000.
- Author H Rider Haggard is mentioned in the 1890 report of the directors. Haggard had been present at the annual general meeting of June 24 1891 where he
"seconded the proposed vote of thanks with much pleasure, remarked that it was impossible to hear the report without realising that the whole of the affairs of this society were in the most satisfactory condition".
- The company insured Queen Victoria in 1901. The Queen's life was insured by a theatre company which feared that when the country went into mourning following her death their business would suffer because people wouldn't go to the theatre.
- The heating and air conditioning system in the society's head office at 8 Surrey Street, Surrey House, was famously complex. Air was brought in from the west side of the building and passed through a water screen in the basement to cleanse and purify it. In the winter time, the treated air was moved to the front of the building where it was heated and then passed to the marble hall via ducts. It entered the hall via the central font. The ornamental pendant suspended from the ceiling was designed to deflect the air around the hall. The whole process took just 20 minutes. The explanation of the system baffled a young man who joined the office as a junior in the 1930s. The new employee had quite some difficulty believing that the air circulated around the marble hall just because of the pendant. Convinced this couldn't be the case he went out one lunch time to find some dandelion seed heads. He brought back a bunch and thrust them into the up draught of the font. In his own words,
"within minutes those seeds were everywhere".
- In the 1950s, the company insured Agatha Christie under her married name Agatha Mallowen.
- During the 1970s, an episode of "Tales of the Unexpected" starring Telly Savalas was filmed in the boardroom of 8 Surrey Street.
- The company insured Freddie Mercury in the 1980s.
Subsidiaries (to 1985) and constituents*
| Year | Company name |
|---|---|
| 1820 - 1827 | Essex Life Insurance Society |
| 1845 - 1848 | Agriculturist Cattle Insurance Company (life business) |
| 1706 - 1866 | Amicable Insurance Society |
| 1835 - 1869 | Nottinghamshire & Derbyshire Fire and Life Assurance Company (life business) |
| 1840 - 1893 | Reliance Mutual Life Assurance Society |
| 1865 - 1906 | Scottish Imperial Insurance Company |
| 1860 - 1909 | Victoria Assurance Society Ltd. |
| 1797 - 1925 | Norwich Union Fire Insurance Society Ltd. |
| 1964 | Eastlease Ltd. |
| 1964 | Equipment Leasing |
| 1966 | Norcadia Investments (Proprietary) Ltd. |
| 1966 | Norwich, East Anglia and General Trust Ltd. |
| - 1967 | Mashonaland Buildings and Investments Ltd. |
| 1968 | Norwich Irish Unit Trust Managers Ltd. |
| 1969 | Libra Investments (Proprietary) Ltd. |
| 1969 | Dawson Street Holding Company Ltd. |
| 1969 | Norwich Union Irish Trust Company Ltd. |
| by 1948 - 1970 | O J Fourie and Company (Proprietary) Ltd |
| 1972 | Norwich Union Insurance Group (Pensions Management) Ltd. |
| by 1972 | Norwich Irish Property Unit Trust |
| 1973 | Norwich Union Trust Company (Channel Islands) Ltd |
| 1946 - 1973 | Castle Finance Ltd. |
| 1973 - 1973 | Westlegate Properties Ltd |
| 1973 | Norwich Properties (Belgium) SA |
| 1974 | Norwich Union Insurance Group (Managed Funds) Ltd. |
| 1919 - 1975 | Anglo-Portuguese Bank Ltd. |
| 1976 | Norwich Union Insurance Group (Equipment Leasing) Ltd. |
| 1980 | Norwich Union (Hydrocarbons) Ltd. |
| - by 1980 | Seventeen Baker Street (Pty) Ltd. |
| 1966 - 1981 | Fidelity Life Assurance Ltd. (transferred from Norwich Union Asset Management Ltd) |
| - by 1981 | Elakal Beleggings (Eiendoms) Beperk |
| - by 1981 | Stand 980 Ferndale (Pty) Ltd. |
| 1981 | Norwich Union Holdings Plc |
| 1969 - 1982 | Atholl Investments (Scotland) Ltd |
| 1985 | Norwich Union Asset Management Ltd. |
| 1985 | Norwich Unit Trust Managers Ltd. |
| - 1986 | Calculus Finance Ltd. |
| 1981 - 1987 | Queensgate Management Services Ltd. |
| - 1989 | General Practice Finance Corporation Ltd. |
| 1989 | CUSOP International Ltd. |
| 1989 - 1990 | Post Office Finance (No. 3) Ltd |
| 1973 - 1973 | Lovell Developments (Barnet) Ltd. |
| 1987 - 1990 | Giroleasing Holdings Ltd. |
| 1991 | Norwich Union Legal Services One Ltd. |
| 1990 - 1992 | Svin Holmen BV |
| 1994 - 1995 | SPIG 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
Norwich
| Year | Address |
|---|---|
| 1808 - 1820 | 18 Market Place |
| 1820 - 1905 | 9, Surrey Street |
| 1905 - 2000 | 8, Surrey Street |
| 1940 - 1945 | Spa Plaza Hotel, Buxton (wartime evacuation) |
London
| Year | Address |
|---|---|
| by 1818 - | Bridge Street Blackfriars |
| by 1821 - | 16 Walterloo Place |
| by 1824 - 1864 | 6 Crescent, New Bridge Street, Blackfriars |
| 1864 - 1866 at least | 29 Fleet Street |
| by 1868 - 1946 | 50 Fleet Street |
| 1946 - 1955 | 32 Threadneedle Street |
| 1955 - 2001 | 51/54 Fenchurch Street |
Registered office
| Year | Address |
|---|---|
| 2000 - | 2 Rougier Street, York |
Staff and officials
Secretary
| Year | Name |
|---|---|
| 1808 - 1815 | Thomas Bignold |
| 1815 - 1875 | Samuel Bignold |
| 1875 - 1887 | T Muir Grant |
| 1887 - 1901 | J J W Deuchar (also actuary) |
| 1903 - 1910 | Davidson Walker |
| 1910 - 1923 | Mungo Mackenzie Lees |
| 1923 - 1933 | H G Wilton |
| 1933 - 1937 | W W Williamson (also joint actuary) |
| 1937 - 1942 | W R Hines (joint secretary from 1940) |
| 1940 - 1946 | D Weyer (joint secretary until 1942) |
| 1946 - 1952 | B Robarts (joint secretary) |
| 1946 - 1955 | B O Rolph (joint secretary until 1952) |
| 1955 - 1966 | C R Newing |
| 1966 - 1969 | P M Chase (as group secretary) |
| 1969 - 1976 | E J Holland (as group secretary) |
| 1976 - 1983 | H H Scurfield (as group secretary) |
| 1983 - 1989 | D P Lister (as group secretary) |
| 1989 - 1992 | H W Utting (as group secretary) |
| 1992 - 1994 | John D Stanforth (as group secretary) |
| 1994 - | Graham Jones |
General manager
Position created in 1901
| Year | Name |
|---|---|
| 1901 - 1910 | J J W Deuchar (also actuary) |
| 1910 - 1923 | Davidson Walker (also actuary) |
| 1923 - 1934 | M Mackenzie Lees (also actuary) |
| 1934 - 1937 | H G Wilton (also joint actuary) |
| 1937 - 1952 | W W Williamson (also actuary) |
| 1946 - 1950 | D Weyer (joint general manager) |
| 1952 - 1963 | Basil Robarts (also actuary) |
| 1963 - 1969 | B O Rolph (also actuary) |
| 1969 - 1975 | P W Sharman (also actuary) |
| 1975 - 1983 | V W Hughff (as group general manager and actuary) |
| 1983 - 1991 at least | H H Scurfield (as group general manager and actuary) |
Chief general manager
Position created in 1962
| Year | Name |
|---|---|
| 1962 - 1975 | Basil Robarts |
| 1975 - 1984 | Peter W Sharman |
| 1984 - 1989 | V W Hughff |
| 1989 - 1997 | Allan Bridgewater (as group chief executive) |
| 1998 - | Richard Harvey |
Actuary
| Year | Name |
|---|---|
| 1808 - 1837 | Richard Morgan |
| 1837 - | F Noverre |
| by 1846 - 1850 at least | Richard Morgan |
| by 1862 - 1887 | Charles John Bunyon |
| 1887 - 1910 | J J W Deuchar (also secretary) |
| 1910 - 1923 | Davidson Walker (joint actuary also general manager) |
| 1910 - 1921 | W G Cooper (as joint actuary) |
| 1923 - 1934 | Mungo Mackenzie Lees (also general manager) |
| 1934 - 1937 | H G Wilton (as joint actuary and general manager) |
| 1933 - 1937 | W W Williamson (as joint actuary and secretary) |
| 1937 - | W W Williamson (as general manager and actuary) |
| 1940 - 1946 | C C Barrett (as joint actuary) |
| 1949 - 1960 | A E Doughty (as joint actuary) |
| 1960 - 1969 | R G Mallett (as joint actuary) |
| 1969 - 1975 | P W Sharman (also general manager) |
| 1975 - 1983 | V W Hughff (also general manager) |
| 1983 - 1991 at least | H H Scurfield (also general manager) |
Directors (1808)
- Starling Day (President)
- John Patteson
- Reverend C J Chapman
- J Herring
- T A Kerrison
- Thomas Strickland
- Richard Dewing
- Thomas Cook
- Thomas M Dennis
- William Shanke
- William Jackson
- Francis Weft
- P L Foster
- James Green
- Alexander Thwaites
- R M Bacon
- James Nolworthy
- F Noverre
- William Bacon
- James Adams
- Hammond Fisk
- William Moore
- James Roper
Home agencies (1808)
- Bedfordshire
- Berkshire
- Cambridgeshire
- Cheshire
- Cumberland
- Derbyshire
- Devonshire
- Durham
- Essex
- Gloucestershire
- Hampshire
- Bedfordshire
- Huntingdonshire
- Kent
- Lancashire
- Leicestershire
- Lincolnshire
- Monmouthshire
- Norfolk
- Northamptonshire
- Northumberland
- Nottinghamshire
- Oxfordshire
- Rutlandshire
- Shropshire
- Somersetshire
- Staffordshire
- Suffolk
- Warwickshire
- Westmoreland
- Wiltshire
- Yorkshire
Home branches
- Aberdeen (by 1899)
- Belfast (by 1899)
- Birmingham (by 1899)
- Bristol (by 1899)
- Dundee (by 1899)
- Edinburgh (by 1899)
- Glasgow (by 1899)
- Inverness (by 1899)
- Liverpool (by 1899)
- Manchester (by 1899)
- Newcastle (by 1899)
- Leicester (by 1900)
- Leeds (by 1900)
- Plymouth (by 1901)
- Southampton (by 1902)
- Sunderland (by 1905)
- Reading (by 1905)
- Cardiff (by 1905)
- Cambridge (by 1905)
- Hull (by 1905)
- Northampton (by 1905)
- Sunderland (by 1905)
- Swansea (by 1905)
- Worcester (by 1935)
Overseas agencies
- Dublin, Ireland (1816)
- Belgium (1859)
- Sydney, Australia (1866)
- Melbourne, Australia (1870)
- Auckland, New Zealand (1870)
- Christchurch, New Zealand (1872)
- Milan, Italy (1889)
- Gibraltar (1889)
- Rome, Italy (1890) also Turin, Genoa, Naples, Venice, Spezzia
- Argentina (1890)
- Berne, Switzerland (1892)
- Paris, France (1895)
- Transvaal, South Africa (1895)
- Copenhagen, Denmark (1896)
- Amsterdam, Holland (by 1896)
- Toronto, Canada (1899)
- Lisbon, Portugal (1900)
- Cairo, Egypt (1903)
- Zimbabwe (1903)
- Cork, Ireland (by 1905) also Galway
- Bombay, India (1906) also Calcutta
- Karachi, Pakistan (1907)
- Rangoon, Myanmar (Burma) (1908)
- Colombo, Ceylon (Sri Lanka) (1908)
- Bulgaria (by 1908)
- Greece (by 1908)
- Istanbul, Turkey (by 1914)
- Madrid, Spain (by 1914)
- Nicosia, Cyprus (by 1920)
- Malawi (1944)
- Kenya (1947)
- Bahrain (1950)
- Jamaica (1952)
- Chile (by 1954)
- Lagos, Nigeria (1954)
- Accra, Ghana (1954)
- Valetta, Malta (by 1969)
Published History
Five generations of the Bignold Family 1761 - 1947 and their connection with the Norwich Union by Sir Robert Bignold. B T Batsford Ltd. London, 1948.
Norwich Union: The First 200 years by Jonathan Mantle. James & James Ltd. London, 1997.
In the archives
The Aviva archive contains records relating to the running of the Norwich Union Life Insurance Company between 1808 and 1996. The collection includes annual reports and accounts, general ledgers, board minutes, general minutes, committee minutes, certificates of incorporation, memoranda and articles of association, acts of parliament, deed of settlement, policy registers, annuity registers, journals, referee letters, salary books, photographs, prospectuses, policies, branded promotional material and product literature.
