Sir Samuel Bignold DL (13 October 1791 – 2 January 1875) was a British businessman with insurances and

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

politician.

Background

Born in

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...

, he was the third and youngest son of

Thomas Bignold Thomas Bignold (1761–1835) was an English businessman. He was the founder of Norwich Union, now known as Aviva plc, one of the United Kingdom's largest insurance businesses. Career Born in Westerham, Kent, Thomas Bignold worked as an exciseman ...

and his wife Sarah, widow of Julius Long and daughter of Samuel Cocksedge. He was educated at schools in Norwich and

Bury St Edmunds Bury St Edmunds (), commonly referred to locally as Bury, is a historic market town, market, cathedral town and civil parish in Suffolk, England.OS Explorer map 211: Bury St.Edmunds and Stowmarket Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – ...

Career

From 1814, he worked as secretary for the

Norwich Union Norwich Union was the name of insurance company Aviva's British arm before June 2009. It was originally established in 1797. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. On 29 April 2008, Aviva a ...

Fire Insurance Company and from 1818 had the same office for the Norwich Union Life Assurance Society, both founded by his father. Although an admirer of

Benjamin Disraeli Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, (21 December 1804 – 19 April 1881) was a British statesman and Conservative politician who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He played a central role in the creation o ...

, he rejected the latter's rather dubious request of a loan by the Society; however, after a meeting lent the money from personal funds. In 1866, he arranged the incorporation of the Amicable Society, Britain's oldest life insurance institution. Bignold was appointed

Sheriff of Norwich This is a list of the present unpaid ceremonial offices of High Sheriffs in England and Wales and in Northern Ireland, along with the more localised but equivalent Sheriffdoms of 16 towns/cities. Historically a High Sheriff was appointed to each ...

in 1830 and was

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

of that city in the years 1833, 1848, 1853 and lastly 1872. He presented a note of support of the

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the de ...

from the city of

to the Parliament in 1854, for which he was created a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are the ...

. Shortly thereafter, he entered the

British House of Commons The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 mem ...

and sat for

in the following three years. Bignold served as Deputy Lieutenant of

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

Family

In 1815, he married Elizabeth, the only child of William Atkins and had by her six sons and seven daughters. He died in 1875 at Bignold House, which he had bought in 1820 and then had become his head office, and was buried at St Margaret,

Old Catton Old Catton is a suburban village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk which lies to the north-east of central Norwich. The parish is bounded by the Norwich International Airport at Hellesdon to the west and Sprowston to the east. T ...

. He left property worth about £120,000 (probate granted 15 February 1875). Bignold's fourth son, Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Bignold (1831–1895) served as Mayor of

between 1894 and 1895, Deputy Lieutenant of Norfolk, and leader of the Conservative Party in that city after 1875.Obituary of Charles Edward Bignold
''The Banker's Magazine'', vol. 60, p. 105 (1895).

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bignold, Samuel 1791 births 1875 deaths Deputy Lieutenants of Norfolk Knights Bachelor UK MPs 1852–1857 Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Politicians from Norwich Mayors of Norwich Aviva people Businesspeople from Norwich