UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549 FORM 4 STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP ( ) Check this box if no longer subject to Section 16. Form 4 or Form 5 obligations may continue. See Instructions 1(b). 1. Name and Address of Reporting Person Kirby, Jr., Allan P. 14 East Main Street P.O. Box 90 Mendham, NJ 07945 USA 2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol Alleghany Corporation Y 3. IRS or Social Security Number of Reporting Person (Voluntary) 4. Statement for Month/Year April 30, 2001 5. If Amendment, Date of Original (Month/Year) 6. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer (Check all applicable) (X) Director ( ) 10% Owner ( ) Officer (give title below) ( ) Other (specify below) 7. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check Applicable Line) (X) Form filed by One Reporting Person ( ) Form filed by More than One Reporting Person ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Table I -- Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| 1. Title of Security |2. |3. |4.Securities Acquired (A) |5.Amount of |6.Dir |7.Nature of Indirect | | Transaction | or Disposed of (D) | Securities |ect | Beneficial Ownership | | | | | Beneficially |(D)or | | | | | | | A/| | Owned at |Indir | | | Date |Code|V| Amount | D | Price | End of Month |ect(I)| | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| Common Stock |4/12/0|M | |1,960 |A |$48.8991 | | | | |1 | | | | | | | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| |4/12/0|F | |480 |D |$199.50 | | | | |1 | | | | | | | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| |4/27/0|S(1)| |4,319 |D |$198.06 |217,447 |D | | |1 | | | | | | | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| |4/27/0|S(1)| |6,113 |D |$198.06 |305,655 |I |(2) | |1 | | | | | | | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Table II -- Derivative Securitites Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| 1.Title of Derivative |2.Con- |3. |4. |5.Number of De |6.Date Exer|7.Title and Amount |8.Price|9.Number |10.|11.Nature of| Security |version |Transaction | rivative Secu |cisable and| of Underlying |of Deri|of Deriva |Dir|Indirect | |or Exer | | | rities Acqui |Expiration | Securities |vative |tive |ect|Beneficial | |cise | | | red(A) or Dis |Date(Month/| |Secu |Securities |(D)|Ownership | |Price of| | | posed of(D) |Day/Year) | |rity |Benefi |or | | |Deriva- | | | |Date |Expir| | |ficially |Ind| | |tive | | | | A/|Exer-|ation| Title and Number | |Owned at |ire| | |Secu- | | | | | D |cisa-|Date | of Shares | |End of |ct | | |rity |Date |Code|V| Amount | |ble | | | |Month |(I)| | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| Option (right to buy) |$48.8991|4/12/|M | |1 |D |(3) |4/29/|Common Stock|1,960 |(3) |9 |D | | | |01 | | | | | |01 | | | | | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| Option (right to buy) |$201.10 |4/30/|A |V|1 |A |(3) |4/30/|Common Stock|1,000 |(3) |10 |D | | | |01 | | | | | |11 | | | | | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| Explanation of Responses: (1) Open market sale of shares received from Alleghany Corporation as a stock dividend in April 2001. Pursuant to arrangement made by Alleghany, stockholders who wished to sell the shares paid to them as a stock dividend instructed the dividend disbursing agent to do so. Such shares were sold on April 27, 2001 at a price of $198.06 per share. (2) By undersigned as co-trustee and beneficiary. (3) One-third of such option is exercisable on each of the first, second and third anniversaries of the date of grant. SIGNATURE OF REPORTING PERSON /s/ Allan P. Kirby, Jr. DATE May 3, 2001