William Purves (Funeral Directors) Limited

Reference number: 814797

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Appointed representative

This firm does not hold FCA authorisation of its own, and acts under a principal firm, which is legally responsible for its regulated business.

Responsible principal firm

Golden Charter Limited Reference number: 965279 Authorised View firm →
What does this mean?
  • An appointed representative (AR) can carry out regulated financial services, but is not directly authorised by the FCA. A principal firm holds the authorisation and is legally responsible for the AR's conduct.
  • WILLIAM PURVES (FUNERAL DIRECTORS) LIMITED (FRN 814797) is an AR of Golden Charter Limited (FRN 965279). When you use WILLIAM PURVES (FUNERAL DIRECTORS)'s services, the FCA authorisation sits with the principal firm.
  • Example: if you take financial advice from WILLIAM PURVES (FUNERAL DIRECTORS), complaints and compensation usually follow the same rules as dealing with the principal, but this depends on the product and your circumstances.
  • Before you proceed, confirm contact details match the official FCA register for both firms. Scammers sometimes clone legitimate AR names and FRNs but use fake phone numbers and websites.

Website, phone number and address

Compare these against whatever you were given. Scammers clone real firm names and reference numbers but use their own phone number and website, so a detail that does not match the register is the clearest warning sign there is.

In the full report: 3 background checks

  • When williampurves.co.uk first appeared online, and whether it can receive email
  • What kind of line 0131 447 5858 is
  • Who else gives the postcode EH9 1BD
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Other names (5)

If you were contacted under any of these names, it is this firm.

  • Eric Massie Funeral Directors Trading name
  • W. G. Catto Funeral Directors Trading name
  • David Hardie Funeral Directors Former trading name
  • John Beattie Funeral Directors Former trading name
  • Oliver & Sons Funeral Directors Former trading name

FCA permissions and consumer protection

  • Protection through the principal firm
    Protection works through Golden Charter Limited, the principal firm responsible for this firm's regulated activity. FSCS cover and the Financial Ombudsman Service apply as they would to the principal.
  • Complaints Ombudsman, free
    You can refer a complaint about this firm to the Financial Ombudsman Service for free, whichever activity it relates to.

FCA disciplinary action and complaints

No FCA disciplinary action.

The Financial Ombudsman Service only publishes complaint figures for firms with 30 or more new complaints in six months, so there are none here for this firm.

Companies House record

The company behind the firm: its status, age, registered office and directors.

Company number
SC060678
Company status
Active
Company type
Private limited company
Incorporated
7 September 1976 (50 years old)
Registered office
Oakvale Funeral Home, 106 Whitehouse Loan, Edinburgh, EH9 1BD
Nature of business
  • Funeral and related activities (SIC 96030)

Directors and company secretaries

Name Role Born Appointed Other companies
John Timothy Purves Director Jun 1976 1 Jan 2007 10 other companies
Andrew Purves Director Dec 1978 30 Jun 2014 4 other companies
Colin James Brown Director May 1982 30 Jun 2014 3 other companies
Ben Ronnie Thomson Director May 1987 1 Jan 2024 None
Alison Judith Purves Director Apr 1974 5 Dec 2024 3 other companies

Other companies run by these 5 directors

A firm is run by people, and their other companies are their track record: what they built, what closed, and anything that failed. It is the check most people never think to make.

other companies
10
closed down
3
is FCA-registered
1

In the full report: all 10 companies, named

  • What each company does, and whether it is still trading
  • Which of these 5 directors sit on each board, and since when
  • Any that went into liquidation or administration
  • The one on the FCA register
  • The 7 companies these 5 directors run together
  • All 11 people who have ever been directors, with their dates
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Filed accounts and finances

Year to 30 September 2025Full accountsAudited

Profit before tax

£1.28m

No earlier figure to compare

Net assets

£771k

No earlier figure to compare

Cash at bank

£718k

No earlier figure to compare

Owed within a year

£6.74m

No earlier figure to compare

About these figures
Turnover
Money taken from sales in the year, before any costs.
Profit before tax
What was left after the year’s costs, before corporation tax. A minus figure is a loss.
Net assets, or total equity
Everything the company owns minus everything it owes. A minus figure means it owes more than it owns.
Total assets and total liabilities
Everything the company owns, and everything it owes, on the last day of the year. The gap between them is its net assets.
Cash at bank
Money in the company’s accounts on the last day of the year.
Owed within a year, owed after a year
Debts and bills due in the next twelve months, and those due later.

Accounts filed at Companies House for company SC060678. Every figure is as filed, apart from total assets and total liabilities, which are added up from filed figures. Nothing is estimated.

Key dates in its history

William Purves (Funeral Directors)’s history from the FCA register and Companies House, newest first.

Key events (9) All events (33)

2024

11 September 2024

  • Purves Estates Holdings Limited gave up control
  • William Purves (Funeral Directors) Holdings Limited took control (75–100% of shares)

Companies House

5 September 2024

  • Alison Judith Purves stopped being a part-owner
  • John Timothy Purves stopped being the majority owner
  • Purves Estates Holdings Limited took control (75–100% of shares)

Companies House

2022

20 December 2022

  • Alison Judith Purves became a part-owner (25–50% of shares)

Companies House

2018

25 July 2018

  • Became an appointed representative

FCA register

2017

22 March 2017

  • John Timothy Purves became the majority owner (50–75% of shares)

Companies House

1976

7 September 1976

  • Incorporated at Companies House

Companies House

In the full report: all 33 events

  • All 33 events in its history (9 shown here)
  • Every director appointment and resignation: 13
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Firms connected to William Purves (Funeral Directors)

Other FCA-listed firms that share a director, phone number or address with William Purves (Funeral Directors). A link shows who the firm is tied to, not whether either can be trusted.

connected firm
1
share a director
1

In the full report: the connected firm, named

  • How it is linked: shared directors (1)
  • Who links it to this firm: the named directors, with dates
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Firms like William Purves (Funeral Directors)

Other firms of the same type (funeral director), nearest first.

In Edinburgh

Andrew Gauld Independent Funeral Directors LtdEdinburghAppointed representativeMessrs J & T McColgan Funeral Directors LtdEdinburghAppointed representative

In the Edinburgh (EH) postcode area

Brownings Funeral Directors LtdBathgateAppointed representativeC & A Funeral Services LtdPrestonpansAppointed representativeIan W Davidson, James Davidson & Jon DavidsonLoanheadAppointed representativeMark Porteous Funeral Directors LtdJuniper GreenAppointed representative

Firms are listed by type and location, best known first. Being listed is not a recommendation: check any firm before you deal with it.

Get the full report on William Purves (Funeral Directors)

Everything on this page, plus everything locked above, in one dated PDF you can keep, file or send on.

  • 10 other companies its directors have run, named
  • 3 background checks on its contact details
  • All 33 events in its history
  • 1 connected firm, named, and who links them

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Frequently asked questions about this firm

Is William Purves (Funeral Directors) Limited FCA authorised?
William Purves (Funeral Directors) Limited (FRN 814797) is not directly authorised. It is an appointed representative acting under the responsibility of a directly authorised principal firm.
What does appointed representative mean for William Purves (Funeral Directors)?
An appointed representative (AR) can carry out regulated financial services, but is not directly authorised by the FCA. A principal firm holds the authorisation and is legally responsible for the AR's conduct. William Purves (Funeral Directors) Limited (FRN 814797) is an AR of Golden Charter Limited (FRN 965279). When you use William Purves (Funeral Directors)'s services, the FCA authorisation sits with the principal firm. Example: if you take financial advice from William Purves (Funeral Directors), complaints and compensation usually follow the same rules as dealing with the principal, but this depends on the product and your circumstances. Before you proceed, confirm contact details match the official FCA register for both firms. Scammers sometimes clone legitimate AR names and FRNs but use fake phone numbers and websites.
What is William Purves (Funeral Directors)’s phone number and website?
The FCA register lists the phone number 0131 447 5858 and the website williampurves.co.uk for William Purves (Funeral Directors). If you were given different contact details, use these to check with the firm before going any further.
Is William Purves (Funeral Directors) a scam or clone?
William Purves (Funeral Directors) is a genuine FCA-listed firm, and the FCA has published no warnings about fake versions of it. Scammers do copy real firms, though, so check that any contact details you were given match the ones on the register.
Is my money safe with William Purves (Funeral Directors)?
Protection works through Golden Charter Limited, the principal firm responsible for William Purves (Funeral Directors)'s regulated activity. FSCS cover and the Financial Ombudsman Service apply as they would to the principal.
Who owns William Purves (Funeral Directors)?
William Purves (Funeral Directors) is owned by William Purves (Funeral Directors) Holdings Limited, which holds 75–100% of shares and 75–100% of votes, since 11 September 2024. Before that, it was controlled by Mrs Alison Judith Purves, Mr John Timothy Purves and Purves Estates Holdings Limited.
Who runs William Purves (Funeral Directors)?
Companies House lists 5 directors of William Purves (Funeral Directors): John Timothy Purves, Andrew Purves, Colin James Brown, Ben Ronnie Thomson and Alison Judith Purves.
How long has William Purves (Funeral Directors) been in business?
The company was formed on 7 September 1976.
What do William Purves (Funeral Directors)’s latest accounts show?
Its latest accounts, to 30 September 2025, show profit before tax of £1.28m (no earlier figure to compare) and net assets of £771k (no earlier figure to compare).
Does William Purves (Funeral Directors) use any other names?
It trades as Eric Massie Funeral Directors and W. G. Catto Funeral Directors. It has previously used 3 other names: David Hardie Funeral Directors, John Beattie Funeral Directors and Oliver & Sons Funeral Directors.

Sources and links

The full report on William Purves (Funeral Directors) Limited

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