Norwich Union Linked Life Assurance Ltd
Norwich Union Linked Life Assurance Ltd was incorporated on December 4 1919 as the English Insurance Company Ltd, and became a subsidiary of the General Accident Fire & Life Assurance Corporation in 1923.
Company History
English Insurance Company Ltd shield
English Insurance Company Ltd policy header
According to its original prospectus, the English was established in 1919 to provide life, fire, accident, employers' liability and marine insurance. In 1921, the company began transacting group life assurance, claiming to be the first insurer to introduce group life assurance to the United Kingdom.
From 1955, the company was managed by the General Life Assurance Company. Its principal activity, listed in 1968, was life and annuity business, especially group pension schemes. During 1982, General Accident acquired the remaining 47.7% of the company's ordinary share capital from Hill Samuel, making the company a wholly owned subsidiary.
On 1 March 1985, the company entered the unit linked life and pensions market. In the same year, the company was renamed General Accident Linked Life Assurance Ltd. On 1 October 1998, it became CGU Linked Life Assurance Ltd and, finally, on 2 October 2000, was renamed Norwich Union Linked Life Assurance Ltd.
Key dates
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1919 | The company is established |
| 1923 | Becomes a subsidiary of the General Accident Fire & Life Assurance Corporation |
| 1955 | Management of the company is taken over by the General Life Assurance Company |
| 1985 | Name changes to General Accident Linked Life Assurance |
| 1998 | Name changes to CGU Linked Life Assurance |
| 2000 | Name changes to Norwich Union Linked Life Assurance |
Subsidiaries and constituents*
| Year | Company name |
|---|---|
| 1919 - 1973 | English Insurance (Pensions Management) Ltd (transferred from General Accident) |
* 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.
Did you know...?
- The company's slogan was "Honestly the best policy".
Head office premises
| Year | Address |
|---|---|
| 1920 - 1921 | Great Winchester Street, London |
| 1921 - 1925 | 58 Gresham Street, London |
| 1925 - 1964 | 4 & 5 Grosvenor Place, London |
| 1964 - 1987 | General Buildings, 20-24 Addiscombe Road, Croydon, London |
| 1987 - | 2 Rougier Street, York |
Registered offices
| Registered offices | Address |
|---|---|
| 1920 - 1921 | Great Winchester Street, London |
| 1921 - 1923 | 58 Gresham Street, London |
| 1923 - 1957 | General Buildings, 99 Aldwych, London |
| 1957 - 1960 | 52 Pall Mall, London |
| 1960 - 1964 | 4 & 5 Grosvenor Place, London |
| 1964 - 1986 at least | General Buildings, 20-24 Addiscombe Road, Croydon, London |
| by 1994 - 2000 | 2 Rougier Street, York |
Staff and officials
Secretary
| Year | Name |
|---|---|
| 1919 - 1920 | A Dudley Westbrook |
| 1920 - 1922 | Robert Gray |
| 1922 - 1930 | W M Graham |
| 1930 - 1949 | H C Mathieson |
| 1949 - 1955 | A MacDonald |
| 1955 - 1970 | L V Beard (also manager) |
| 1970 - 1986 at least | J M Broatch |
| by 1994 | A D Graham |
| by 1998 | P M White |
Manager
| Year | Name |
|---|---|
| 1920 - 1922 | Ashley E Clayton |
| 1922 - 1924 | Percival J Alexander (general manager) |
| 1924 - 1950 | S Norie-Miller |
| 1950 - 1954 | No manager listed |
| 1954 - 1970 | L V Beard (general manager from 1960) |
| 1970 - 1986 at least | V C Ablewhite |
| by 1994 | W H Jack |
Directors (1920)
- Charles Diamond
- The Earl of Clarendon
- George J Carter
- Frank M Crisp
- George Hussey
- Ernest William Moir
- G H Nicholson
- Julian W Orde
- W A Packer
- Arthur T Sloggett
- Johnstone Wallace
- Robert Wilson
- Percival J Alexander
Home branches and agencies
- Edinburgh (1920)
- Glasgow (1920)
- Newcastle (1920)
- Leeds (1920)
- Manchester (1920)
- Liverpool (1920)
- Portsmouth (1920)
- Bristol (1920)
- Southampton (1920)
- Birmingham (1921)
- Dundee (by 1921)
Overseas branches and agencies
- Jamaica (1924)
- Australia (by 1925)
- Belgium (by 1925)
- Costa Rica (by 1925)
- Egypt (by 1925)
- Far East (by 1925)
- France (by 1925)
- Greece (by 1925)
- Holland (by 1925)
- India (by 1925)
- Jamaica (by 1925)
- Turkey (by 1925)
In the archive
The Aviva archive contains records relating to the running of the English Insurance Company from 1919 to 2004. The collection includes board minutes, committee minutes, annual reports and accounts, cask books, ledgers, local board minutes, staff books, revenue account books, specimen policies, policies, board of trade returns and journals.
