|
 The
family behind a financial empire
December
7, 2001
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| Sir Samuel Bignold. |
BIGNOLD ROAD (Appleyard Crescent
to Drayton Road)
ONE of the truly great Norwich names. They don’t come
much bigger than the Bignolds.
This was one of the most powerful families to come
out of the city. And it was one that founded an empire.
It put the name of Norwich on the world map and provided
work for tens of thousands of people.
This road was named after Sir Samuel Bignold, the son
of Thomas Bignold, who founded Norwich Union, which
is now part of the international financial giants CGNU.
Samuel was born in the parish of St Laurence in 1791
and eight years later his father formed The Norwich
Union Society for the Insurance of Houses, Stock and
Merchandise from Fire with just 28 members.
| FACTS ON A GREAT TORY |
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Sir Samuel Bignold
was a great Tory. One day in 1849 a frightened
clerk warned him that a mob of chartists, escorting
the carriage of agitator, Feargus O’Connor, was
approaching his office. Sir Samuel refused to
have the gates shut. On came the tumultuous procession
and turned into the forecourt. Sir Samuel stood
on the steps, saluted and waved his hand. O’Connor
bowed his acknowledgement – and the mob, instead
of breaking the Tory windows, cheered themselves
hoarse.
The qualifications laid
down by Sir Samuel Bignold for an appointment
were simple. He declared in 1820 that the person
should be a good writer, clean shaven, and a Tory.
Thirty years later,
instructing his son Charles Edward, who had just
come into the office, he said: - “If you want
to write the word Street write STREET, not St.
If you must write Saint write SAINT. St in either
case denotes slovenliness. Slovenliness and idleness
are partners in a firm heading sooner or later
to bankruptcy.”
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In 1808 he founded The Norwich Union Society for Insurances
on Lives and Survivorships at offices in Market Place,
Norwich, now the Royal Arcade.
“There is nothing that is uninsurable,” Thomas once
said.
His third son Samuel was described as having all the
energy and ability of his father but was blessed with
a far cooler head to direct them.
His secretaryship of both the life and fire societies
lasted for nearly 60 years during which he brought Norwich
Union from its turbulent beginning under his father
into a discreet and prosperous maturity.
He is regarded as the societies’ second founder and
under his guidance it flourished. In his day the whole
head office staff worked on the ground floor of a big
Georgian mansion in Surrey Street.
Upstairs Sir Samuel, a great Tory, entertained the
likes of the Duke of Wellington and John Sell Cotman
the painter.
Apart from being a clever businessman he was also a
man of the people. He worked hard for, and eventually
laid the foundation stone of, the old Norwich Public
Library. He represented Norwich in Parliament from 1854
to 1857 and was Mayor of Norwich four times.
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| Sir Samuel's house. |
Sir Samuel suggested the formation of a joint stock
company to give employment to the poor and this resulted
in his playing the first stone of the factory of the
Norwich Yarn Company in 1836.
Married to Elizabeth they had 12 children. In 1875
his son Charles, known as “The Colonel” succeeded his
father as secretary of the Fire Office and became a
trustee of the Life Office.
But the system of control of both societies by a single
secretary terminated on Sir Samuel’s death.
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