The Yorkshire Insurance Company was an English
insurance company
Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to hedge ...
.
The company was founded in 1824, in
York
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
, as the Yorkshire Fire and Life Insurance Company.
Its objects were initially "to effect insurance against loss by fire and on lives and survivorships and the sale and purchase of annuities and reversions and the endowment of children".
In November 1824, the company purchased a fire engine,
and from 1830 until 1876, it operated the
fire brigade
A fire department (American English) or fire brigade (Commonwealth English), also known as a fire authority, fire district, fire and rescue, or fire service in some areas, is an organization that provides fire prevention and fire suppression se ...
for the city of York.
In 1847, it constructed
its headquarters building on
St Helen's Square in the city.
In 1908, the company adopted its final name, and registered as a limited company.
The company took over the following insurance companies:
* 1907: National Assurance Company of Ireland
* 1912: London and Provincial Marine and General Insurance Company
* 1913: Scottish Boiler and General Insurance Company
* 1914: Guarantee Society
* 1918: Ulster Marine Insurance Company
* 1920: National Safe Deposit and Trustee Company
* 1921: Lancashire and Yorkshire Reversionary Interest Company
* 1922: Commercial Insurance Company of Ireland
* 1955: Farmers' Finance and Insurance Office
* 1961: Celtic Insurance Company
* 1963: Scottish Insurance Corporation
In 1967, the majority of the company's shares were bought by the
General Accident Fire and Life Assurance Corporation, which purchased the remainder in 1968.
[{{cite web , title=Previous companies , url=https://www.aviva.co.uk/services/about-our-business/about-us/previous-companies/ , website=Aviva , access-date=9 December 2022] Following this, General Accident's life insurance section, General Life, was renamed "Yorkshire-General Life", which it remained until 1985.
References
1824 establishments
1968 disestablishments
Defunct companies based in York
Insurance companies of the United Kingdom