50 
NOTES ON FIRE INSURANCE MARKS. 
In 1681, a Committee of the Council of the City of London 
settled /hoo,ooo in funds and lands for the better securing and 
insuring inhabitants of the City and its liberties from dangerous 
accidents happening from fire. Of the twenty Companies referred 
to, only 8 existed as independent organisations in 1780—The Sun, 
The Royal Exchange, The Phoenix, and The Atlas are still 
flourishing. 
We find the earliest mention of Marks in 1682, when the Fire 
Office established in 1680 issued a Badge, on which was repre¬ 
sented a Phoenix, that fabulous bird rising from the flames 
unscathed. From this emblem, the Company was colloquially 
known as “The Phoenix,” but it was really “The Fire Office, and 
only assumed the name of Phoenix in 1705. The earliest issue of 
The Phoenix Company had below the bird the word “ Protection,” 
and later the Phoenix Office had the word'“ Phoenix ” below the 
emblem. 
The emblem of the Sun was adopted by several Companies, 
as the “ Sun,’’ “ Bath Sun, “ Sarum Sun.” 
The earliest Marks were of lead, hammered, pressed, or cast. 
These had the number of the Policy stamped on, generally in 
recessed numbers, rarely in raised type, and very rarely painted 
on. Then came the age of stamped or pressed copper, rarely 
brass. Last of all sheet iron, either tinned or plain. These latter 
quickly rust and perish, and the execution and designs are mostly 
very poor and inartistic. 
Early Policies were limited to ^500, and if a large property was 
insured sever-al Policies had to be taken out and a separate Mark 
affixed for each ^*500 assured. 
There was until lately an interesting example of three old Marks 
of the Sun Office on a building in the Layerthorpe District of this 
City, and two on an old house in Bootham. These were the only 
examples in York of more than one Mark on a house. ( They are 
depicted in the centre of the first plate illustrating this paper). In 
London, the writer has seen many public buildings with four Marks, 
and the Salop and North Wales specimen figured herewith is one 
of four from a house in Evesham. 
The history of Fire Marks is particularly interesting as showing 
the conditions appertaining to the insurance of property against 
the risk of fire which existed over two centuries ago, a time almost 
identical with its inception as a regular business, 
