12 ]'il/aae Chihs und Associdtjoii.^. 



a 

 Re(;eipts ....... 1,475 



Amount admitted on mortgage . . . 440 



Liabilitien : 



To holders of shares ..... 7,227 

 Undivided profit 278 



Axxets : 



Balance due on mortgage securities . . <i,41»4 

 Other assets Lull 



A society at Deddington, Oxon, indicates the fate of 

 some of these village building societies. Incorporated in 

 1888 it had a number of members for many years, but in 1910 

 only one remained, and the receipts amounted to 5^. For- 

 tunately the liabilities only amount to GIZ., while the assets 

 reach a total of 18oZ. 



Cattle Insurance Societies. 



When the reorganisation of village associations began in the 

 eighteenth century, after the period of inactivity following the 

 break-up of the guilds, there was a strong development of 

 specialisation. Instead of the village guild, in which all 

 persons of good character without restriction of trade or class 

 were included, combining manj^ objects in its general purpose 

 of helpfulness, small societies were organised for definite pur- 

 poses, and attempts were made to regularise their proceedings. 

 Calculations of risks or necessities were made, and subscriptions 

 were fixed accordingly, to provide the necessary income. This 

 may be regarded as a de6nite advance. 



Most important are the numerous pig and cow clubs 

 scattered over England. 



1. Pig Clubs. 

 There are some 1,080 pig insurance societies in England 

 and Wales, scattered over 28 counties, only about 30 of them 

 being registered. A large number of these clubs were formed 

 in the seventies and eighties of the last century, 42 of them 

 before 1860, whilst the oldest, that at Whitwell, in Derbyshire, 

 was founded in 1833. Since IDOO, 230 clubs have been started. 

 The statistics of 1,027 of these societies show that they have 

 37,848 members, with 63.558 pigs insured, and assets totalling 

 up to 32,656^. The most important fact in the history of these 

 clubs is that the villagers conceived the idea of mutual pro- 

 tection from the ravages of disease amongst pigs and organised 

 the insurance against risks frequently without outside inspira- 

 tion or assistance. So far as is known no influential persons 

 sjstematically advocated the promotion of these clubs, and no 

 society was ever formed to advocate, organise, or consolidate 

 them. They have grown up in the obscurity of each little 



