By John Lane, IM Volunteer
Recently, I had the opportunity to explore a small selection of Reg Brown’s extensive collection of insurance-related postcards. While all the cards were fascinating from a historical standpoint, two, in particular, caught my attention. One card advertised the headquarters of the Pelican and British Empire Life Office, while the other featured a facsimile of the very first policy issued by this organisation. My background in insurance sparked my curiosity, prompting me to delve deeper into the history of this company, which I had previously been unaware of.
Upon further investigation, I discovered that this organisation was formed from the merger of two companies transacting life assurance. The older of the two was the Pelican Life Office (later to become the Pelican Life Assurance Company), which merged over a hundred years later with the British Empire Mutual Assurance.
In 1782, the Phoenix Fire Office was founded, and in 1797, it established The Pelican Life Office as a sister company with the intention of offering life assurance products. This was one of the very first proprietary companies with share capital to be established under a Deed of Settlement.
Premises were acquired at 70 Lombard Street, London. This building was built in 1757 by architect Sir Robert Taylor for Sir Charles Asgill, a merchant banker, as his sole bank. Asgill died in 1786, and his bank subsequently closed for business in 1796, with the Pelican Life Office becoming the next occupier of 70 Lombard Street. As can be seen from Reg’s postcards, the façade of the building was embellished with an allegorical sculptural group. Originally, the building had a plain façade; however, the Pelican Life Office commissioned Lady Diana Beauclerk to design the group façade seen so clearly in the postcard. The building was demolished in 1915, but the sculptural group was sent to the Horniman Museum in London.
Although the quality of the policy document has suffered over time before being incorporated into the postcard, it can be deduced from Reg’s card that the first policy issued by the Pelican Life Office was on the life of Jeremiah Blakeman on the 8th of December 1797. It was a Whole Life policy. It is also interesting to note that the issuing office was unexplainably described as Pelican Life Insurance Company.
