Minute books and other records of Liverpool and London Steamship Protection and Indemnity Association Limited.

Minute books of the Liverpool & London Steamship Protection & Indemnity Association Ltd, 1881- 2000. Records re Titanic claims, mainly copies, 1912-2004. Volumes of details of claims accounts. The Liverpool and London Steam Ship Protection and Indemnity Association was set up in 1881 by leading Liverpool shipowners. As shipping insurance legislation restricted collision claims to three quarters of a vessel's value, in order to prevent shipowners from conspiring to sink their own ships, shipowners had to find a quarter of any claim. They joined together in mutual associations or ‘clubs’ to protect themselves from these costs and spread the financial risk. For more information on the history of the Association see J D Gregson’s, Differently situated - The history of the Liverpool & London Steamship Protection & Indemnity Association Ltd 1882-1982, Liverpool, 1994. A copy is held in the library collection of the Maritime Archives & Library at 520.GRE. The Association was wound up in 2016. The insurance business has been transferred to R&Q Insurance (Malta) Limited, while renewal terms have been offered by North of England P&I. The majority of collection is made up of the minute books of the organisation, some 247 volumes dating from 1881 – 2000. The remaining minutes, from 2001 – 2016, have been retained by the organisation in case they are required in the winding up process. The hope is that they will be transferred to join the material held here at a future date. The minutes begin as manuscript volumes, then typed minutes pasted into volumes, and finally smaller typed volumes. Closure Periods: Due to the sensitive content of the medical claims discussed in the minutes they are subject to closure periods under the Data Protection Act, 1998. These vary based on the likely age of death of the people mentioned, but are usually for a period of 80 years. The closure period is indicated in the catalogue. The collection includes some examples of claim books and other ledgers that demonstrate how the Association functioned. There are also papers relating to the sinking of Titanic and the discovery of the wreck and salvage of items from it by the American firm R.M.S. Titanic Inc. As the Association had paid claims for loss of cargo and personal property resulting from the sinking, it claimed ownership of items retrieved from the wreck. The material was donated to the Maritime Archives & Library, National Museums Liverpool in April 2016, as the association was wound up. The case files relating to past claims and current club members were transferred to the successor organisation. See also D/B/LPI for related records held within the Bryson Collection.