The historical collections developed from the donation of original texts on the formation of the Institute of Actuaries in 1848 and of the Faculty of Actuaries in Scotland in 1856. New acquisition of relevant historic texts and manuscripts dating before 1860 continues to this day. In 2006 the Institute of Actuaries acquired the Archive of the Equitable Life Assurance Society, established in 1762 and the first insurance office to operate on scientific lines using actuarial mathematics and mortality analysis.
Subjects represented in the historical collections include:
- early insurance and pensions
- demography (particularly mortality trends of populations)
- commercial arithmetic (application of compound interest in accumulating funds
- statistics and probability theory leading to calculations of life expectation
- the business of offering life assurance and pensions based on 'actuarial' mathematics.
Most texts are in English but there are significant items for actuarial science from France, Germany and Holland. There is also much evidence from insurance offices of the work of 'actuaries' who emerged from the late eighteenth century, those in the nineteenth century forming the first professional bodies, the Institute of Actuaries in 1848 and Faculty of Actuaries in 1856.
The Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA) also preserves its own archives documenting the professional association work of the original Faculty and Institute since their foundation.
Access to the collection
The IFoA welcomes bona fide research requests to view items in the main special library collections of books, manuscripts and archives by appointment.
If you would like to view items in our collections please contact libraries@actuaries.org.uk. We may facilitate your visits to view items held by the organisations shown above by arrangement.
Please consult our combined catalogue listing of the Books, manuscripts and documents dating before 1901 in the libraries of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries arranged by author or lead title. In enquiries about items, please cite the RKN or library catalogue numbers of items of interest. Researchers may also now search our Library catalogue for pre-1901 items and 'request' to arrange to see items of interest at the IFoA Library by appointment.
There are document listings of the archives in the Equitable Life Assurance Society (ELAS) Archive 1762-1975 held by the IFoA and at Guildhall Library, London.
The historical collections are held in secure locations as outlined below:
| Historical resource | Location | Catalogue access to holdings |
|---|---|---|
| Institute of Actuaries special historical collections (books and manuscripts) |
IFoA London (viewing by appointment) | |
| Institute of Actuaries publications and profession records | IFoA London | Search Library catalogue (for Institute and Faculty publications) IFoA Library searches database to identify and retrieve profession records upon enquiry. |
| Faculty of Actuaries special historical collection | IFoA Edinburgh (viewing by appointment) | |
| Faculty of Actuaries publications and profession records | IFoA Edinburgh | Search Library catalogue (for Institute and Faculty publications) IFoA Library searches database to identify and retrieve profession records upon enquiry. |
| Equitable Life Assurance Society archive, (ca.1762-1833) | IFoA London (viewing by appointment) | Equitable Life Assurance Society (ELAS) Archive 1762-1975, IFoA, London |
| Equitable Life Assurance Society archive, (ca.1830-1950) | London Guildhall Library Apply to London Metropolitan Archives for access |
Equitable Life Assurance Society (ELAS) Archive 1803-1976, Guildhall Library, London |
Related documents
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IFoA Library special collection books on Fire Insurance: reading list
20 September 2016 -
Books, manuscripts and documents dating before 1901 in the libraries of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries
1 July 2017 -
Equitable Life Assurance Society (ELAS) Archive 1762 - 1975 at Institute of Actuaries Library, London
30 September 2007 -
Equitable Life Assurance Society (ELAS) Archive 1803 - 1976 at Guildhall Library, London
1 November 2007
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Contact Details
For any library enquiries please contact:
We try to respond to email queries within one working day. Researcher access to historical resources may require notice in advance of visit in order to retrieve items from storage.
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Events calendar
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Pensions Conference 2019
Bristol Marriott Hotel City Centre, 2 Lower Castle Street, Old Market, Bristol, BS1 3AD18-19 June 2019
Five plenaries and 13 workshops cover current topics and industry trends in the Pension sector with the opportunity to develop your network at the pre-conference evening dinner (18 June). There is also a day ticket option available for the 19 June. -
KSS event – FinTech and The Actuarial Profession
EY, Atria One, 144 Morrison Street, Edinburgh19 June 2019This KSS talk from FinTech Scotland's CEO will explore the mission to create an integrated Fintech ecosystem through provision of funding, support, infrastructure and talent that recognises and responds to the needs of all stakeholders - and the overarching aim for Scotland to be one of the top 5 Fintech global leaders by 2020.
To book your place, please email Barry_Shannon@standardlife.com
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Current Issues in General Insurance (CIGI) 2019
Inmarsat, 99 City Road, London, EC1Y 1BJ19 June 2019CIGI is a well-established one-day seminar designed to increase awareness and encourage discussion on a variety of topical issues across the general insurance industry.
There will be an excellent and diverse line-up of speakers to provide a variety of perspectives and challenge covering technical and professional areas.
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KSS Event: How to Stop Bad Data Driving out the Good (In an Age of Misuse, Misleadingness and Misinformation)
Edinburgh Hymans Robertson, 1 Exchange Place, Semple St, Edinburgh EH3 8BL20 June 2019Fake news, post truth, mistrust of experts... a familiar roll call of anxieties – or perhaps clichés – about our data rich world. They point to an underlying fear that in this data abundant age the bad data drives out the good and we are left with a broken public discourse.
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Professional Skills Training - Edinburgh (20 June 19)
IFoA (Edinburgh), Level 2, Exchange Crescent 7 Conference Square Edinburgh EH3 8RA20 June 2019 -
Sessional: Why the Pensions Dashboard is more than a data collection exercise
Royal College of Physicians, 9 Queen St, Edinburgh EH2 1JQ24 June 2019The pensions dashboard has been talked about across the industry for a long time and now nears implementation with DWP’s consultation ending in January 2019. -
Cass Event – New Thinking about Deferred Annuities
Cass Business School, Executive Education Facilities 200 Aldersgate St, London EC1A 4HD25 June 2019Our motivation for discussing this important subject comes from some exciting recent research which has analysed the impact of behavioural factors on the decision to purchase an annuity. This work has shown that behavioural factors can explain the well-known low demand for immediate annuities but this research also identifies an important opportunity in relation to deferred annuities (DA). The research suggests that these factors lead to positive incentives to purchase a DA and that, for longer deferred periods, a DA could be an attractive product for both consumers and insurers.
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IFoA/SAS Joint Professional Skills Training – Singapore
Room 903, NTUC Centre, Level 9, One Marina Boulevard, Singapore 01898925 June 2019The Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA) and Singapore Actuarial Society (SAS) are organising a joint Professional Skills Training (PST) in Singapore. This session is suitable for actuaries working in any area (i.e. it is not specifically aimed at Life, GI or any other technical discipline) and is interactive, so you should come along prepared to take part in the discussions.
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Professional Skills Training - London (25 June 19)
Staple Inn Hall, High Holborn London WC1V 7QJ25 June 2019
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Webinar Series: Risk and Investment Conference 2019, 26 June
These are online webinar events.26 June 2019The IFoA’s Risk Management and Finance and Investment Boards are delighted to host a series of webinars covering a range of topical and trending topics ranging from climate related risks to Brexit.
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AGM and Presidential Address 2019 + Volunteer and Member Drinks Reception
The Hub Castlehill Edinburgh EH1 2NE26 June 2019
Notice is hereby given that the ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING of the INSTITUTE AND FACULTY OF ACTUARIES will be held at The Hub, Edinburgh on Wednesday 26 June 2019 at 16.30 (Preceded by tea from 16.00) and followed by a PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS given by John Taylor.
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IFAM event - Actuarial Teachers’ & Researchers’ Conference 2019
Institute for Financial and Actuarial Mathematics Department of Mathematical Sciences The University of Liverpool Mathematical Sciences Building Peach Street Liverpool, L69 7ZL27 June 2019 - 29 June 2019The Institute for Financial and Actuarial Mathematics (IFAM) at the University of Liverpool is pleased to host the 2019 Actuarial Teachers’ and Researchers’ Conference from 27-28 June 2019. This annual two-day event has been running annually now for many years, each time hosted by a different university, and provides all those interested in actuarial research and education a great opportunity to share their ideas and catch up on the latest developments.
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IFoA/ASM Joint Professional Skills Training – Kuala Lumpur
Menara AIA, Auditorium, 99 Jalan Ampang, 50450, Kuala Lumpur28 June 2019The Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA) and Actuarial Society of Malaysia (ASM) are organising a joint Professional Skills Training (PST) in Kuala Lumpur. This session is suitable for actuaries working in any area (i.e. it is not specifically aimed at Life, GI or any other technical discipline) and is interactive, so you should come along prepared to take part in the discussions.
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NOCA Event - Climate-related risk: facing up to the challenge
N/A28 June 2019Presented by Louise Pryor
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SIAS: The Impact of Air Pollution on Health and Life Expectancy
Staple Inn Hall, High Holborn, London, WC1V 7QJ2 July 2019Air pollution has gained increasing attention lately. Nicola Oliver, head of longevity and mortality research for Medical Intelligence, will discuss not only the impacts of air pollution on health and life expectancy but also how as an industry we should be addressing it.
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Webinar: Opportunities for Actuaries in Banking
Online webinar10 July 2019The actuarial profession has much to offer the world of banking. In this webinar actuaries with experience in various fields of banking will talk about the opportunities there are in banking; describing the actuarial aspects of the work they do as well as other roles within their area of banking. -
Implications of 2019 IFRS 17 Exposure Draft
Staple Inn Hall, High Holborn, London, WC1V 7QJ24 July 2019Towards the end of June, the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) is expected to publish an Exposure Draft (ED) of limited changes to its insurance contracts standard IFRS 17, effective date 2022. To help IFoA members, the IFoA’s cross-practice Financial Reporting Group (FRG) is hosting an event at Staple Inn covering these developments.
For more information on the FRG please visit this webpage.
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NOCA event - IFRS17 methodology selection, consistency and impacts
N/A26 July 2019Presenter: Rahul Verma
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NoCA Event - Periodic Payment Orders (PPOs): the most extreme life risks are in non-life companies
N/A30 August 2019Presenter Matt Modisett
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Behavioural Finance Research Launch
Staple Inn Hall, High Holborn, London, WC1V 7QJ4 September 2019
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KSS event – The Regulatory Perspective
Deloitte Saltire Court 20 Castle Terrace Edinburgh EH1 2EG5 September 2019This KSS talk, presented by the FCA Head of Department in Scotland, will focus on the following 3 main areas:
- FCA business plan priorities
- The future of regulation
- FCA Engagement in Scotland
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Sessional Research Event - Risk Margin Working Party
Staple Inn Hall, High Holborn London, WC1V 7QJ9 September 2019For life insurers in the UK, the risk margin is one of the most controversial aspects of the Solvency II regime. Following its implementation, the risk margin came under considerable criticism for being too large and too sensitive to interest rate movements. These criticisms are particularly valid for annuity business – such business is of great significance to the national system for retirement provision. This criticism has led to political interest, and the risk margin was a major element of the Treasury Committee inquiry into Solvency II.
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GIRO Conference 2019
EICC, The Exchange, 150 Morrison St, Edinburgh EH3 8EE24-26 September 2019GIRO is attended annually by over 800 delegates and speakers who are keen to discuss key topics such as Pricing, Reserving, Modelling and the future of the insurance industry. GIRO 2018 was a huge success and we have opened bookings early for what we hope will be another brilliant conference at the EICC in Edinburgh this year. -
NOCA event - Discount Process Is The Problem
N/A27 September 2019Presenter Jon Spain
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Life Conference 2019
The Convention Centre Dublin, Spencer Dock, North Wall Quay, Dublin 120-22 November 2019The Life Conference is the premier event for professionals interested in life insurance. Offering a wide range of workshops and plenary sessions it’s the perfect opportunity to discover what’s hot and current in life insurance ensuring you get up to date on the latest thinking and innovation whilst meeting and exchanging ideas with a broad range of professionals.
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Autumn Lecture 2019, London - Rt Hon Nicky Morgan MP
Lincoln's Inn The Treasury Office, London WC2A 3TL2 December 2019The IFoA is pleased to announce that this year’s Autumn Lecture will feature the Rt Hon Nicky Morgan MP as its guest speaker. Nicky has previously served as Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Minister for Women. She now chairs the Treasury Select Committee whose remit is to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of HM Treasury, along with all of its agencies and associated bodies.
