EXHIBIT  (31.1)

                    CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO THE SECTION 302
                        OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

I,  Michael  L.  Browne,  certify  that:

1.  I  have  reviewed  this  annual report on Form 10-K of Harleysville Group
    Inc.;

2.  Based  on  my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement
    of  a material fact or  omit  to  state a material  fact necessary to make
    the  statements  made,  in  light  of  the  circumstances under which such
    statements were made, not misleading with respect to  the  period  covered
    by this report;

4.  The  registrant's  other  certifying  officers  and  I are responsible for
    establishing  and  maintaining  disclosure  controls  and  procedures  (as
    defined in Exchange Act Rules  13a-15(e)  and 15d(e)) and internal control
    over financial reporting  (as defined in Exchange  Act Rules 13a-15(f) and
    15d-15(f) for the registrant  and  have:

    a) Designed  such  disclosure  controls  and  procedures,  or  caused such
       disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision,
       to  ensure  that  material  information   relating  to  the registrant,
       including its consolidated  subsidiaries, is made known to us by others
       within those entities, particularly  during  the  period  in which this
       report  is  being  prepared;

    b) Designed  such  internal  control  over financial  reporting, or caused
       such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our
       supervision,  to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability
       of  financial  reporting  and  the  preparation of financial statements
       for external purposes  in accordance with generally accepted accounting
       principles;

    c) Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant's disclosure controls and
       procedures  and  presented  in  this report  our  conclusions about the
       effectiveness of the  disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end
       of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation;  and

    d) Disclosed  in  this  report  any  change  in  the registrant's internal
       control over financial reporting that  occurred during the registrant's
       most recent  fiscal quarter  (the registrant's fourth fiscal quarter in
       the case of an annual  report)  that  has  materially  affected,  or is
       reasonably  likely  to  materially  affect,  the  registrant's internal
       control over financial reporting;  and

5.  The  registrant's other certifying officers and I have disclosed, based on
    our  most recent evaluation of internal control  over financial reporting,
    to the registrant's auditors and the audit  committee  of the registrant's
    board of directors  (or  persons  performing  the  equivalent  functions):

    a) All  significant  deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or
       operation  of  internal  control  over  financial  reporting  which are
       reasonably  likely  to  adversely  affect the registrant's  ability  to
       record,  process, summarize  and  report  financial  information;  and

    b) Any  fraud,  whether or not material, that involves management or other
       employees  who  have  a  significant  role in the registrant's internal
       control over financial  reporting.


Date:  January 6, 2006                /s/ MICHAEL L. BROWNE
                                      --------------------------------------
                                      Michael L. Browne
                                      President, Chief Executive Officer and
                                      a Director

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