Ocean, Railway and General Accident Assurance Company Ltd
The Ocean, Railway and General Accident Assurance Company Ltd was established as the Ocean, Railway and General Travellers' Assurance Company Ltd on 14 December 1871 to insure people travelling by train or boat.
Company History
Ocean, Railway and General Travellers' Assurance Company advertisement
The company's original prospectus stated that it was established to "assure against accidental death or personal injury from any cause of railway passengers for a single journey or stated period and of passengers and professional mariners for sea voyages to and from all parts of the world."
A new prospectus was issued shortly afterwards excluding cover against death to avoid the provisions of the new Life Assurance Act, which required a deposit of £20,000. Ocean, Railway and General was the first insurer incorporated following the passing of the act.
In 1876, a sister company Ocean and General Guarantee Company Ltd was established, offering guarantee insurance. The new company was incorporated in June 1877. On 14 August 1890, Ocean, Railway and General was amalgamated with its sister company and ceased to exist.
Key dates
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1871 | The company is established |
| 1875 | Name changes to Ocean, Railway and General Accident Assurance Company |
| 1876 | Sister company Ocean and General Guarantee Company Ltd is established |
| 1890 | The company merges with Ocean and General and ceases to exist |
Did you know...?
- The company sold policies covering travel in the UK and Europe and on 6 August 1872 made an arrangement under an act of parliament to pay 5% of annual premiums as stamp duty rather than paying duty on each individual policy. This made it possible to sell through booking clerks, as individual policies did not need to be stamped.
- Francis Norie-Miller, later general manager of the General Accident Fire & Life Assurance Corporation, worked for the company between 1880 and 1881.
- The promoter of the company was Edward Nerves Hudson, who was also the promoter of the Railway Passengers Assurance Company Ltd.
Subsidiaries and constituents*
| Year | Company name |
|---|---|
| 1870 - 1872 | Commercial Accident Assurance Society Ltd |
| 1876 - 1878 | Railway and General Accidents |
| 1877 - 1878 | Star Accident Company |
| 1880 - 1883 | Lion Life and Accident Insurance Company Ltd (accident business) |
* 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
| Year | Address |
|---|---|
| 1871 | 12 Great Winchester Street, London |
| 1871 - 1890 | Mansion House Buildings, 4 Queen Victoria Street, London |
Staff and officials
Manager and secretary
| Year | Name |
|---|---|
| 1871 - 1873 | Mr Patrick Macnaghten Tait |
| 1873 - 1883 | Mr Robert Dolphin Wood (formerly of the Commercial Accident Company) |
| 1883 - 1890 | Richard J Paull |
Directors (1873)
- Edward Smith
- N Alexander
- Major General Henry Pelham Burn
- Thomas Joseph Fallon
- Richard Pryce Harrison
- Trevenen James Holland
- John Jenkins
- Henry Solomon
- Arthur Kelly Thompson
Home branches and agencies
By 1873, the company had agents in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Overseas branches and agencies
By 1873, the company had prospectuses available in English, French, German, Italian and Hindustani.
In the archives
The Aviva archive contains records relating to the running of the Ocean, Railway and General Accident Assurance Company between 1875 and 1890. The collection includes memoranda of association, merger papers, notices to shareholders, bills of amalgamation and an annual report from 1889.
Other resources
Visit the Guildhall Library for more material relating to the Ocean, Railway and General Accident Assurance Company.
