Archive of the Equitable Life Assurance Society
Since November 2006, the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries owns the archives of the Equitable Life Assurance Society that date from the Society's origins in 1762 through to 1950.
The Archive is of fundamental importance in the history of actuarial science and takes a special and complementary place alongside the existing special collections of key texts in demography and mathematics held by the libraries of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.
Formal listings of the items in the Archive, held at two locations, are available under 'Associated documents' (right). Selected archives were displayed with other important items from the Institute Library's special books collection in a reception launch for the acquistion of the Archive in April 2007. The catalogue of the display at this event is also available here.
- Equitable Life Assurance Society Archive 1762 - 1975 at Institute and Faculty of Actuaries Library, Staple Inn, London
- Equitable Life Assurance Society Archive 1803 - 1976 at Guildhall Library, London
- Catalogue of Archive launch display on 3 April 2007
(Items dated after 1950 relate to research files about the Society's early history)
The Institute and Faculty of Actuaries seeks to preserve the Archive to encourage research into the history of actuarial science and into the history of actuaries and their profession and practice. The following pages offer introductory outlines to access the Archive and to aid further research:
- Access to the Archive (broad descriptions and extent of the archives held in their library locations in London)
- Importance of the Archive (significance of the archive to the history actuarial science and insurance practice)
- Historical context (the emergence of actuarial life insurance from the eighteenth to nineteenth centuries)
- Some highlights in the Archive (key manuscripts of actuarial pioneers James Dodson, Richard Price and William Morgan and important work by Thomas Bayes)
- Historical research (articles and papers on the history of the Equitable, its actuaries and wider context)
The Institute and Faculty of Actuaries gratefully acknowledges the support of the many individuals, members and corporate groups who contributed to the purchase of the Archive. The names of the donors have been engraved on a commemorative plaque which was unveiled by Richard Macve, FCA Hon FIA, at the launch reception on 3 April 2007 in Staple Inn Hall.
For more information, please contact libraries@actuaries.org.uk
