Historical claims involve a leap-frogging vicar, a swearing parrot and an elephant who attempted to get inside a Morris Minor.

The insurer’s roots can be traced back to 1696 as The Hand-in-Hand Fire and Life Insurance Company. The first policy was taken out on 15 January 1697 and the first claim paid on 11 May 1697 when houses in St Stephen’s Alley, Westminster were “damnifyed by fire.”

Although this company was a fire insurer, the organisation evolved as people’s needs changed, to cover homes, personal possessions, motoring, travel, health and personal injuries, as well as pensions and investments. Claims for injuries appear throughout the archives, particularly when health and safety rules were possibly more lax than today.

The 1880s seem to have been unlucky years for fingers and toes. In 1884 a 19th-century surgeon suffered a “poisoned hand” when unpacking a box of drugs, while a man injured his arm when his finger got caught in a lady’s corset in 1888. The latter was trying to save her from drowning at the time.

In the same year, £10 was awarded to a traveller of Stourbridge who lost a toenail while getting into bed, and in Dundee, a surgeon received £15 after his forefinger was bitten while examining a patient’s mouth.

Many of the older claims from the Aviva archives are light on detail, but a few words conjure up lively images:

• Vicar, Salop, fall when playing leap-frog - £120. [1875]
• Hotel keeper, London, opening bottle of champagne - blow in the eye with cork - £25 10s. [1878]
• Surgeon, Yorkshire, poisoned hand unpacking box of drugs - £136 10s. [1884]
• Grocer, Leeds, box of bacon fell on assurer- £94. [1885]
• Journalist, Birmingham, lady tripped and fell against him, forehead cut by brooch - £7. [1885]
• Licensed victualler, London, injured shin ejecting drunken man - £100. [1887]
• Surgeon, Dundee, examining mouth of patient - bite of forefinger - £15. [1888]

Anna Stone, Aviva archivist, said: “It’s been a joy to have another opportunity to look at some of our oldest and quirkiest claims. Some of them never fail to raise a smile, but in each case, we’ve been there to help customers as they’ve faced the unexpected.

“Aviva’s origins can be traced back 325 years, so as we celebrate this landmark, I’ve enjoyed reminding myself of the likes of a driving red setter and a hungry elephant. Although it has to be said, we’re still adding to our log of unusual claims even today! We’ve been supporting customers for more than three centuries in all manner of circumstances, so I look forward to adding more cases to the archives for years to come.”

Aviva has also insured the lives of a number of famous customers over the years, including: Sir Walter Scott, Agatha Christie, Percy Bysshe Shelley, David Lloyd George, Queen Victoria and George V.

Interestingly, in 1958, Queen Elizabeth the Queen mother claimed for a torn dress – a sum of £100 16s. The cheque was sent directly to Norman Hartnell Ltd (royal dressmakers) who had repaired the dress, along with a damaged hat. They had been worn during a tour of Australia and New Zealand.