Southern's Properties Ltd (No. 2)
Southern’s Properties was registered on July 28 1865 as the Provident Clerks’ and General Guarantee Association Ltd. The company was established by the Provident Clerks’ Mutual Life Assurance Association to provide fidelity guarantee policies.
Company History
Provident Accident and White Cross Insurance Company policy, 1927
Provident Accident and White Cross Insurance Company showcard, 1930s
Provident Accident and White Cross Insurance Company policy, 1934
The company held its first board meeting on August 8 1865. Four years later, a newspaper advertisement clearly stated the company's business:
"This Association issues Guarantee Policies in situations of trust. It is especially authorized to guarantee the employés [sic] of the government".
In 1907, the company acquired the business of its sister company, the Provident Clerks' and General Accident Insurance Company Ltd, and changed its name to the Provident Clerks' and General Guarantee Company Ltd. By 1909, the company had extended its business to offer fire insurance.
In February 1917, the company changed its name again to the Provident Accident and Guarantee Company Ltd. Later that year, on August 13, the company was acquired by the Northern Assurance Company Ltd, which became a subsidiary of the Commercial Union Assurance Company Ltd in 1968. That same year, the company had added a marine department, which was closed when the company became part of the Northern.
In 1925, the company merged with the White Cross Insurance Association Ltd (No.2), another Northern subsidiary, to form the Provident Accident and White Cross Insurance Company Ltd (No.1). In 1949, it changed its name once again to the White Cross Insurance Company Ltd (No.1).
On the first day of 1963, the company wholly reinsured its fire and accident business with the Northern and Employers Group and acquired additional motor vehicle and general insurance business in exchange. From December 31 1977, the company stopped transacting fire and accident business and transferred its business in the United States to the Commercial Union Insurance Company of New York.
In 1978, the company's business was transferred to the Scottish Metropolitan Assurance Company Ltd, another Northern subsidiary. On March 10 1978, the company changed its name to Southern's Properties Ltd while Scottish Metropolitan was renamed the White Cross Insurance Company Ltd (No.2) to protect the White Cross brand. Southern's Properties was dissolved on February 28 1984.
Key dates
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1865 | The company is established |
| 1907 | The company acquires the business of its sister company, the Provident Clerks' and General Accident Insurance Company |
| 1907 | Name changes to the Provident Clerks' and General Guarantee Company |
| 1917 | Name changes to the Provident Accident and Guarantee Company |
| 1917 | The company is acquired by the Northern Assurance Company |
| 1925 | The company merges with the White Cross Insurance Association (No.2) to form the Provident Accident and White Cross Insurance Company |
| 1949 | Name changes to the White Cross Insurance Company (No.1) |
| 1968 | The Northern becomes a subsidiary of the Commercial Union Assurance Company |
| 1978 | The company's business is transferred to the Scottish Metropolitan Assurance Company |
| 1978 | Name changes to Southern's Properties |
| 1984 | The company is dissolved |
Did you know...?
- The company's first telephone was installed in 1891.
Subsidiaries and constituents*
| Year | Company name |
|---|---|
| 1864 - 1866 | Financial Insurance Company Ltd (guarantee business) |
| 1866 - 1874 | Citizen Assurance Corporation Ltd (guarantee business) |
| 1865 - 1907 | Provident Clerks' and General Accident Insurance Company Ltd |
| 1914 - 1925 | White Cross Insurance Association Ltd (No. 2) |
* 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 |
|---|---|
| 1865 - c1875 | 15 Moorgate |
| by 1876 - 1923 at least | 61 Colman Street |
| by 1925 - 1957 | Kinnaird House, Pall Mall East Relocation during Second World War to 45 Welsh Back, Bristol and Daimler House, 31 London Road, Leicester |
| 1957 - 1960 | Northern House, 29 Gresham Street |
| 1960 - 1968 | 1 Moorgate |
| 1968 - 1969 | 24 Cornhill |
| 1969 - 1984 | St Helen's, 1 Undershaft |
Staff and officials
Secretary
| Year | Name |
|---|---|
| 1865 - 1886 | William Thomas Linford |
| 1886 - 1913 | Herbert Burgess Brain |
| 1913 - 1925 | Charles Alfred Freeman |
| 1925 - 1927 | Position vacant |
| 1927 - 1946 | John Pinkerton |
| 1946 - 1958 | O A Heath |
| 1958 - 1962 | F B Joule |
| 1962 - 1968 | D A Mills |
| 1968 - 1971 | H T Frost |
| 1971 - 1977 | D R Cobden |
| 1977 - 1984 | G T Spratt |
Manager
| Year | Name |
|---|---|
| 1917 - 1925 | Charles Alfred Freeman |
| 1925 - 1946 | John Pinkerton |
| 1946 - 1956 | O A Heath |
| 1956 - 1958 | Position vacant |
| 1958 - 1966 | T W Haynes |
| 1966 - 1968 at least | C E Keysell |
| Position not listed after 1968 | |
Directors (1865)
- Richard Henry Jones
- John White Welch
- Richard Price
- Samuel Jepps
- Alexander Dawson
- Sancton Wood
- Henry Rogers
- Edward Coleman
- James Lintott
- William Henry Snell
- George Raymond Birt
Home branches and agencies
- Edinburgh (1866)
- Nottingham (by 1867)
- Belfast (1869)
- Aberdeen (1869)
- Bristol (1869)
- Wakefield (1871)
- South West (1871)
- Brighton (1871)
- South Wales (1871)
- Worcester (1871)
- Manchester (by 1874)
- Leicester (1876)
- Sheffield (by 1879)
- Kidderminster (1885)
- Birmingham (1885)
- Doncaster (by 1889)
- Newport (1892)
- Portsmouth (by 1895)
Overseas branches and agencies
- Dublin, Ireland (1870)
- Jamaica (1872)
- Ceylon (Sri Lanka) (1887)
In the archives
The Aviva archive contains records relating to the running of Southern's Properties between 1865 and 1984. The collection includes board and general minutes, policies, promotional material, annual reports and accounts, proposals, journals and board of trade returns.
Other resources
Visit the Guildhall Library for more material relating to Southern's Properties.
