hi jt,
there have been companies going back longer than that. the papacy is a kind of company whose existence extends back to the roman era, although when or whether it was formally incorporated i don't know.
but limitation of liability i think originates in english statute in the nineteenth century. i remember learning about what was charmingly called the veil of incorporation many moons ago. a veil it was very difficult to pierce - as was established in the salomon case.