{{Short description|British friendly society}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2018}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2018}}
{{Infobox company
| logo         = [[File:National Friendly Logo.png]]
| name         = National Friendly
| type         = [[Friendly Society]]
| foundation   = 1868 ([[Albury, Surrey]])
| location     = 11-12 Queen Square <br>Bristol<br>BS1 4NT<br>
| area_served  =  [[United Kingdom]]
| products     = [[Health insurance]], later life care, life assurance and [[investment]] products
| industry     = Insurance
| subsid       = National Friendly Financial Solutions Limited
| homepage     = {{URL|www.nationalfriendly.co.uk}}
}}

[[File:National Friendly's Head Office.jpg|thumb|Office at 11-12 Queen Square, Bristol]]

'''National Friendly''' is the trading name of National Deposit Friendly Society, a British [[friendly society]] providing financial products and services.

It was formed in 1868 as the Surrey Deposit Friendly Society. {{As of|2021|post=,}} National Friendly is based in [[Queen Square, Bristol]].<ref name="csb_promosignmaker"/><ref name="nf_homepage"/>

== History ==
{{Advert section|date=July 2022|2=Most content is from self-promotional material published by the National Friendly.}}

The Society was founded in 1868 by the Rev. George Raymond Portal to provide sickness cover for the poor. Portal was born in 1827 and educated at Rugby School where he was friendly with [[Thomas Hughes]] (Tom Brown's Schooldays) and [[Charles L Dodgson]] (Lewis Carroll). After ordination, Portal worked in London where his exposure to the appalling level of poverty was the impetus for the establishment of the friendly society. In 1858 Portal was appointed Rector of Albury, near [[Guildford]]; ten years later he started the Surrey County Deposit Benefit Club.<ref name=Roper>Roper and Harrison, ''The First Hundred Years  1868-1968'',</ref>

The deposit system was the idea of Rev. Samuel Best, Rector of [[Abbots Ann]] in [[Andover, Hampshire|Andover]]. In essence, the deposit principle was that part of the contribution was for the benefit of the individual, and part for the common pool. Portal's Society was unusual in that it admitted women and children, By the end of 1869 the Society had around 200 members and was beginning to spread into the surrounding villages and then [[Guildford]] where it had a small office with a general secretary. In 1871, Portal was appointed to the living of Burghclere in [[Hampshire]] at the instigation of his friend [[Henry Herbert, 4th Earl of Carnarvon|Lord Caernarvon]].<ref name=Roper/>

Whether or not it was co-incidental, Portal's move marked a radical change in the scale of the Society. He proposed a move into other counties and to facilitate that, a new organisational structure was established and the name changed to the ambitious National Deposit Friendly Society. The first moves were into [[Berkshire]] and [[Hampshire]].  George Portal died in 1889, with the National Deposit's membership approaching 7,000; in 1897 London became the new headquarters. Two years later there were 36,000 members and by 1930, the membership reached one million.<ref name=Roper/>

By providing state benefits, the 1911 National Insurance Act had the potential to threaten the voluntary principle of the voluntary system. However, the administrative systems of the friendly societies were necessary to implement the State scheme and the National Deposit was the first friendly society to become an approved administrator under the act; in the event, membership increased.<ref name=Roper/><ref name="bma_1913_act1911passed"/><ref name="sc_insuranceact"/><ref name="cordery_2003_friendlysocieties"/><ref name="beveridge_2015_voluntaryaction"/> At the end of [[World War I]], National Deposit established its own convalescent home, which offered support to injured soldiers.<ref name="smh_2020_portalhouse"/><ref name=national>{{Cite web|url=https://nationalfriendly.co.uk/about-us/|title = About us - National Friendly}}</ref> The establishment of the [[National Health Service]] posed similar threats and in 1949 the National Deposit lost 278,000 members. The Society responded by issuing a range of new policies during the 1950s and 1960s, such as variations in the length of sickness cover. In 1982 the Society moved to Bristol.<ref name=national/>

In 2011, National Friendly stopped writing new health insurance policies due to capital inadequacy issues. It resumed such activity in 2016.<ref name="fta_20160620_natfriendreturn"/>

== References ==
{{Reflist|refs=

<ref name="nf_homepage">{{cite web
 |url          = https://nationalfriendly.co.uk/about-us/
 |title        = About Us
 |website      = nationalfriendly.co.uk
 |language     = en
 |access-date  = 15 July 2021
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20180725122857/https://nationalfriendly.co.uk/about-us/
 |archive-date = 25 July 2018
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref>

<ref name="bma_1913_act1911passed">{{cite journal
 |last1          = BMA
 |author-link    = British Medical Association
 |title          = Regulations For Medical Benefit. Text Of The New Draft Regulations
 |journal        = [[The British Medical Journal]] 
 |date           = 1913 
 |volume         = 2 
 |issue          = 2759 
 |pages          = 401–420 
 |jstor          = 25307868
}}</ref>

<ref name="sc_insuranceact">{{cite web
 |url            = https://schoolshistory.org.uk/topics/british-history/modern-britain/liberal-reforms/national-insurance-act-1911/
 |title         = National Insurance Act 1911
 |author        = Dan Moorehouse
 |website       = schoolhistory.org.uk
 |access-date   = 15 July 2021
 |archive-url   = https://web.archive.org/web/20191102105546/https://schoolshistory.org.uk/topics/british-history/modern-britain/liberal-reforms/national-insurance-act-1911/
 |archive-date  = 2 November 2019
 |url-status    = live
}}</ref>

<ref name="cordery_2003_friendlysocieties">{{cite book
 |last          = Cordery
 |first         = Simon
 |title         = British friendly societies, 1750-1914
 |publisher     = Palgrave Macmillan
 |location      = Basingstoke
 |date          = 2003
 |oclc          = 1205395891
 |isbn          = 9780230598041
}}</ref>

<ref name="beveridge_2015_voluntaryaction">{{cite book
 |last          = Beveridge
 |first         = William H.
 |title         = Voluntary Action: A Report on Methods of Social Advance
 |publisher     = Routledge
 |location      = London
 |date          = 2015
 |oclc          = 897376725
 |isbn          = 9781317572992
}}</ref>

<ref name="smh_2020_portalhouse">{{cite web
 |url           = http://catalogue.stmargaretshistory.org.uk/collections/show/78
 |website       = St. Margaret's Village Archive
 |title         = Portal House
 |archive-url   = https://web.archive.org/web/20200114225216/http://catalogue.stmargaretshistory.org.uk/collections/show/78
 |archive-date  = 14 January 2020
 |url-status    = dead
}}</ref>

<!-- <ref name="nfs_2018_promovideo150years">{{cite AV media
 |url          = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Nc89BaPe3o
 |title        = National Friendly - 150 Years Together
 |type         = Motion picture
 |date         = 20 April 2018
 |website      = [[YouTube]]
 |time         = 0m52s
}}</ref> -->

<ref name="csb_promosignmaker">{{cite web
 |url          = http://www.capitolsignsbristol.co.uk/europes-largest-georgian-square-becomes-new-home-for-national-friendly/
 |title        = Europe's largest Georgian Square becomes new home for National Friendly
 |website      = capitolsignsbristol.co.uk
 |date = 2 August 2019
 |access-date  = 16 July 2021
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20200928035944/https://capitolsignsbristol.co.uk/europes-largest-georgian-square-becomes-new-home-for-national-friendly/
 |archive-date = 28 September 2020
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref>

<ref name="fta_20160620_natfriendreturn">{{cite web
 |last          = Walker
 |first         = Peter
 |url           = https://www.ftadviser.com/2016/06/20/insurance/national-friendly-returns-to-intermediary-market-j6CWuWBg7TVGQr1BXB9oKP/article.html
 |date          = 20 June 2016
 |website       = FT Adviser
 |title         = National Friendly returns to intermediary market
 |access-date   = 16 July 2021
 |archive-url   = https://web.archive.org/web/20160621130725/http://www.ftadviser.com/2016/06/20/insurance/national-friendly-returns-to-intermediary-market-j6CWuWBg7TVGQr1BXB9oKP/article.html
 |archive-date  = 21 June 2016
 |url-status    = live
}}</ref>

}}

[[Category:Financial services companies established in 1868]]
[[Category:Friendly societies of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Organisations based in Bristol]]
[[Category:Organizations established in 1868]]