William Purves Funeral Directors

General information

You may be reading this because you’ve just lost a loved one and are naturally wondering where to turn for help. That is the entire point of this website: to give you the advice and guidance you need on every aspect of the funeral process. We feel we are well placed to offer this advice for two reasons. Firstly, we have been in the funeral business since 1888. Secondly, we are a family run firm. Our family wants to be there for your family. Please see this as the start of the support and advice you can expect from William Purves Funeral Directors.

William Purves, the founder of our family run firm, was born in the Borders. He started his career as a joiner and set off for a new life in New Zealand. He got as far as Edinburgh. Obviously he fell in love with the place because he set up shop here. By the end of the 19th Century William Purves and his ten joiners undertook the tasks of cabinet making, french polishing, upholstering… and undertaking

In the early 1900s, his son William (or Willie as everyone knew him) became the second generation to carry on the family business, opening a funeral office in Marchmont Road. Willie was obviously a fortunate man because, due to his mother’s illness, he was given permission to leave the front in WW1 and come home. On his return to the front he learned that the rest of his regiment, The Scots Greys Cavalry, had all been killed.

And so we come to the third generation of the Purves family to join the business. John (or Jack as he was known) was a time served joiner and worked alongside his father until Willie died in 1962. In the late 60s Jack finally retired the joinery side of the company and the family concentrated solely on the funeral business. Soon afterwards they opened a funeral office with rest rooms and a service chapel to seat 50. They purchased their first hearse (an Austin 3 litre) and their first funeral cars (Daimlers).

Jack had 5 children and fostered many more. His son, John, became the fourth generation of Purves to join the company, in 1973, taking over when his father passed away in 1975.

John set about growing the business together with his brother-law, Graeme Brown.

From the early 80s onwards William Purves Funeral Directors opened more of their own offices throughout Edinburgh and The Lothians and purchased other Funeral Directors both in Scotland and the North of England.

Today, John is chairman of William Purves Funeral Directors. He shares the responsibility of running the company with his son, Tim, who is the fifth generation of the Purves family to run the business, as well as fellow company directors James Morris and Roger Pagan.

As you will have gathered the business is very much family run. Today, as well as John and Tim, there are five great, great grandchildren of the founder, currently working for William Purves Funeral Directors.

The five generations share many things in common and one thing in particular: the Christian Faith has always been a very important part of the company ethos.