Commercia Union Assurance Company Limited (1861) and Hand-In-Hand Fire & Life Insurance Society (1696) Policy Documents 19th/20th century fire policy documents, with vignettes, official marks and signatures, condition varies A/G. Founded in 1861 it was acquired by Aviva insurance in 1998. It was formed following the huge Tooley Street Fire in 1861 when losses of Thames side warehouses and their content cost the insurance companies two million pounds, after which they put up their premiums for merchandise in warehouses. The Commercial Union was set up by merchants and brokers to offer ‘fair rates’ on mercantile risks. (25)