West+of+Scotland+Insurance

=[|West of Scotland Insurance Office Limited]=

Company Number: SC001584 Date of Incorporation: 10 October 1886 Contact Details: PriceWaterhouseCoopers LLP, Kintyre House, 209 West George Street, Glasgow, G2 2LW Operating Details: Dissolved 3 March 2005 Other names (if known): West of Scotland Fire Office Limited (1886-1904), GCU Insurance (1998-1999). Known as the West of Scotland Insurance Office Ltd at all other times Function of Company*: Life insurance/reinsurance (6601) Headquarters/Base of Operations Location: Glasgow and London Area of Operation: Branches and agencies across the UK (particularly in Scotland and the north of England) by early 1900s, overseas branches and agencies across the British Empire and Northern Europe by 1924.


 * Taken from Standard Industrial Classification 2003, as used by Companies House in 2010

Records
Held By: [|Aviva Group Archives], Surrey House, Norwich GB 2070

Scope/type: The Aviva archive contains records relating to the running of the West of Scotland Insurance Office between 1886 and 1997. The collection includes board minutes, registers of members, registers of transfers, annual reports and accounts and proposals.

Conditions governing access/use: Access is by appointment only, and at the discretion of the group archivist. Access to customer records less than 100 years old and company records less than 30 years old is closed except in very special circumstances. Access will only be granted on the understanding that the reader is engaged in bona fide historical research, and that the information extracted will not be used against the company or go beyond the agreed subject of research. For further information on specific searchroom rules please see []

Related records: 2 court records and a promotional leaflet detailing this company's services in the National Archives of Scotland

Company History
The company was founded by George Macgregor, an employee of the Scottish Union & National Insurance Company. Macgregor noticed that, at the time, none of the country's fire insurance companies had a head office in Glasgow and was confident that, if one was established, it would get good local support.

In 1903, the company extended its business to "carry on the business of insurance in all its branches except life assurance."

Initially, the only additional class of insurance undertaken was burglary but, from 1907, the company began offering employers' liability insurance as well. In 1909, the company extended its operations overseas and, in 1914, established the Home and Foreign Re-insurance Company Ltd to absorb reinsurance treaty contracts with German and Austrian companies that had been terminated at the start of the First World War.

By 1929, the company was offering fire, burglary, loss of profits, workmen's compensation, third party, public liability, personal accident, plate glass, property owners' liability, fidelity guarantee and bonds of caution, securities in transit and motor car insurance. In 1975, the company's fire and accident insurance was wholly reinsured with Commercial Union and, by 1981, it had stopped trading.

The company was re-registered as a private company on December 22 1981. The company changed its name to CGU Insurance Ltd on December 15 1998 and was renamed the West of Scotland Insurance Office on October 1 1999.

This information taken from Aviva group archives website, used with permission