EXHIBIT (23)(A)




The Board of Directors
Harleysville Group Inc.:

We consent to incorporation by reference in the registration
statement on Form S-8 of Harleysville Group Inc. of our reports
dated February 15, 1999, relating to the consolidated balance
sheets of Harleysville Group Inc. as of December 31, 1998 and
1997, and the related consolidated statements of income,
shareholders' equity, and cash flows for each of the years in the
three-year period ended December 31, 1998, and all related
schedules, which reports appear in or are incorporated by
reference in the December 31, 1998 annual report on Form 10-K of
Harleysville Group Inc., and to the reference of our firm under
the heading "Experts" in the registration statement.

/s/KPMG LLP

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
August 25, 1999