Extinguishing
Fires in the UK...
I
haven't followed this thread very closely, but I think that Fire Insurance
Companies in the UK
might be worth mentioning. The Sun Fire Insurance Company of London
insured residences all over the UK
in the 18th Century (e.g. including Perth
Scotland).
An added bonus is that the company retains their records from the early period!
Sun Fire and other companies produced iron badges (rather like the old
fashioned AAA medallions affixed to automobiles early last century) that would
be mounted on the front of an insured business or home. If a fire broke out in
a building that did not display the Sun Fire Insurance badge, the Sun Fire
company would make no effort to extinguish that fire. This was not just an
idiosyncrasy of the Sun Fire Company but was a common practice among British
insurers of the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Incidentally,
the Texas
Fire
Museum
is here in Beaumont
with the world’s largest fire hydrant in front of it. Drive downtown in
Beaumont and you can’t miss it.
Best,
Ware
L.W.S. Petznick, Ph.D.
McFaddin-Ward House
Curator of Collections
725 Third St.
Beaumont, TX 77701
[log in to unmask]
www.mcfaddin-ward.org
409.832.1906 p
409.832.3483 f