Hand in Hand Fire & Life Insurance Society

The Hand in Hand Fire & Life Insurance Society was one of the oldest British insurance companies.

Hand in Hand Fire & Life Insurance Society

Firemark of the Hand in Hand Fire & Life Insurance Society on a house in Dulwich
Company type	Mutual society
Industry	Insurance
Founded	1696
Defunct	1905
Fate	Acquired by Commercial Union
Successor	Aviva plc
Headquarters	London, UK

History

The company was founded in 1696 at Tom's Coffee House in St Martin's Lane in London.^[1] It was one of three fire insurance companies started after the Great Fire of London,^[2] and it was initially called the Contributors for Insuring Houses, Chambers or Rooms from Loss by Fire, by Amicable Contribution.^[3] In 1905, the Hand in Hand was acquired by the Commercial Union Group.^[4]

References

1. Relton, Francis Boyer (1893). An account of the fire insurance companies associations, institutions, projects and schemes established and projected in Great Britain and Ireland during the 17th and 18th centuries including the Sun Fire Office; also of Charles Povey the projector of that office, his writings and schemes. Swan Sonnenschein & Co.
2. "Five ways the Great Fire changed London". BBC. 23 July 2016. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
3. Mortimer, Ian (2017). The Time Traveller's Guide to Restoration Britain: Life in the Age of Samuel Pepys, Isaac Newton and The Great Fire of London. Bodley Head. ISBN 978-1847923042.
4. "Hand in Hand Fire & Life Insurance Society". Archived from the original on 2010-12-04. Retrieved 2009-06-26.