Freeman Brothers Funeral Directors

What Freeman Brothers Funeral Directors does

Freeman Brothers Funeral Directors is a family-owned funeral services business founded in 1855 in Horsham, West Sussex, and currently in its sixth generation of family ownership under proprietor Peter Freeman. The company operates four physical offices across Sussex and Surrey (Horsham, Billingshurst, Crawley, and Hurstpierpoint), supplemented by management of Hills Cemetery Chapel on behalf of Horsham District Council and a 24/7 emergency telephone line. Its service portfolio includes traditional funerals, direct cremations from £1,395, green funerals, FCA-authorised prepaid funeral plans, and aftercare and bereavement support services.

The business is built around in-person, high-touch service delivery to bereaved families in Sussex and Surrey, with technology playing a supportive rather than central role. Stack components include Obitus digital music and webcasting systems at Hills Cemetery Chapel, MuchLoved-powered online funeral notices and tribute pages, a YouTube channel for annual Community Remembrance Services reaching audiences across multiple continents, and a funeral cost estimation tool on the website. Revenue is generated primarily through one-time professional service fees for individual funeral arrangements, with secondary recurring/contractual revenue from FCA-authorised prepaid funeral plans. Ancillary revenue streams include memorial jewellery under the 'WithMe' sub-brand (exclusive partnership with RTFJ) and chapel venue management. Marketing is community-led, relying on local events, educational blog content, social media, healthcare referrals, and word-of-mouth from satisfied families.

The company holds NAFD membership (since 1905) and SAIF membership, is FCA-authorised for prepaid plans (FRN: 962068), and operates as a private limited company with no external funding or parent company. Strategic activity over the past decade has centred on incremental geographic expansion (most recently Hurstpierpoint in 2019), partnership-led product extensions (RTFJ memorial jewellery in 2021), and community-engagement initiatives (Community Team established 2017, annual Remembrance Service since 2019). Customer concentration is geographically narrow but customer-level diversified across thousands of bereaved families annually, with revenue predictability supported by non-cyclical death-rate demand.

Name

Freeman Brothers Funeral Directors

Legal name

Freeman Brothers

Website

https://freemanbrothers.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1855

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Freeman Brothers is a sixth-generation family-owned funeral director serving bereaved families across Sussex and Surrey from four offices, offering traditional funerals, direct cremations, green funerals, FCA-authorised prepaid plans, and bereavement support.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Funeral Services

NAICS

Funeral Homes and Funeral Services (812210), Funeral Homes and Funeral Services (81221), Death Care Services (8122)

akta.pro primary industry

Bereavement & Grief Support Services (Family Aftercare) (HSABAFAI)

Keywords

• Funeral services
• Direct cremation
• Prepaid funeral plans
• Bereavement support
• Green funerals

Headquarters

HQ city

Horsham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Traditional Funeral Services: Full-service funeral arrangements including funeral director services, coffin selection, hearse provision, chapel of rest facilities, and day-of-service coordination. Revenue generated as one-time service fees based on arrangements chosen.
2. Direct Cremation Services: Unattended cremation services starting from £1,395 for standardized packages. Company also offers bespoke direct cremation packages with customizable options including coffin selection and crematorium choice.
3. Prepaid Funeral Plans: FCA-authorized prepaid funeral plans (FRN: 962068) allowing customers to plan and pay for funerals in advance. Plans include tiered options and tailor-made configurations.
4. Aftercare and Bereavement Support: Post-funeral services including bereavement support, memorial jewellery (RTFJ partnership), ashes handling, and ongoing guidance for families.
5. Green and Eco-Friendly Funerals: Specialized environmentally-conscious funeral options including green burials and eco-friendly coffin choices.
6. Chapel of Rest Facility Management: Operation of Hills Cemetery Chapel on behalf of Horsham District Council, providing funeral and memorial service venue with associated service charges.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Freeman Brothers arranges and conducts funerals — including traditional funerals, unattended direct cremations, and green/eco-friendly funerals — from four offices across Sussex. It also sells FCA-regulated prepaid funeral plans, provides bereavement support and aftercare services, and operates Hills Cemetery Chapel as an interment and service venue.

Product overview

Freeman Brothers Funeral Directors offers a portfolio of funeral-related services across Sussex and Surrey from four office locations. Core offerings include Traditional Funerals and Direct Cremations (from £1,395), supplemented by Green Funerals and FCA-authorised Prepaid Funeral Plans. Additional services include Bereavement Support, Hills Cemetery Chapel operations (with Obitus music system and webcasting), and online tribute pages via MuchLoved partnership. The company also offers memorial jewellery through exclusive RTFJ collaboration. Services are connected through a unified commitment to personalised, compassionate care delivered by a multi-generational family team.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WithMe: Memorial jewellery collection featuring handcrafted pieces including pendants and rings designed to contain a small portion of ashes, created in collaboration with RTFJ (Richard Talman Fine Jewellery).
• Hills Cemetery Chapel

Products and services

• Traditional Funerals

Quantifiable outcome

• Over £85,000 raised for charity via online funeral notice pages in 2025 alone
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• RTFJ (Richard Talman Fine Jewellery)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Freeman Brothers collaborates with Richard Talman, Master Goldsmith and founder of RTFJ, since 2021, launching the exclusive 'WithMe' memorial jewellery collection. RTFJ is renowned as a top 10 goldsmith worldwide, appearing on BBC's 'Repair Shop'. Freeman Brothers showcases the complete collection in all four branches, with Richard offering customers the option to witness the ashes encapsulation process.
• MuchLovedcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFreeman Brothers is partnered with MuchLoved to provide online funeral notice pages that also serve as dedicated tribute pages. These enable photo uploads, message posting, and secure charity donations with GiftAid declaration. Over £1,000,000 in donations have been received through these pages since 2018.
• Horsham District CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFreeman Brothers operates Hills Cemetery Chapel on behalf of Horsham District Council, having refurbished the facility to high standards. The partnership provides funeral and memorial service venue capabilities with extensive modern facilities including Obitus music system.
• Dr Tara Quinn-CirillominorOthersGuest speaker for Freeman Brothers' annual Community Remembrance Service, providing expert perspective and experience on grief and bereavement topics.
• The NixonsminorOthersMusicians who performed at Freeman Brothers' 2025 Community Remembrance Service, providing live acoustic music performance.
• Crawley BellsingersminorOthersCommunity choir group who performed at Freeman Brothers' Community Remembrance Service, adding musical element to the event.
• Stevensdrake SolicitorsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLocal firm of solicitors specializing in private client matters including wills, probate and lasting powers of attorney. Participated in Freeman Brothers' 170th anniversary Funeral Fayre as expert speaker on legal matters relating to end-of-life.
• Phil Mockett (Horsham District Council Community Link)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity Link Partnership and Projects Officer at Horsham District Council, providing assessments and services to help residents remain safe in their homes. Participated in Funeral Fayre discussion on supporting bereaved families and elderly community members.
• Beth KirkhamminorOthersLocal funeral celebrant who participated in Freeman Brothers' Funeral Fayre 'In Conversation With...' discussion, sharing insights on celebrancy and supporting families through funeral planning.
• J.Gumbrill Monumental MasonsminorOthersSister company providing monumental masonry services. Mentioned alongside Freeman Brothers in seasonal communications and community initiatives.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Funeral Partners: UK funeral director group operating ~150 branches nationwide, owned by Privet Capital. Comparable as a multi-branch independent funeral director with similar service mix (traditional funerals, cremations, prepaid plans) and acquisition roll-up strategy that contrasts with Freeman Brothers' organic growth.
• Simplicity Cremations: Direct cremation provider offering unattended cremations from £895 with no service. Comparable to Freeman Brothers as a low-cost alternative that competes for price-sensitive bereaved families and has driven the broader industry shift toward direct cremation.
• Pure Cremation: UK-focused direct cremation specialist offering unattended cremations from ~£1,295. Directly comparable to Freeman Brothers' direct cremation service (£1,395) and represents the primary low-cost disruptor pressuring traditional funeral director economics.

Broad incumbents

• Central England Co-operative Funeral Services: Regional UK funeral services provider offering traditional funerals, direct cremations, and prepaid plans. Comparable in service portfolio and mid-market positioning though operating in different regions (Midlands) rather than direct Sussex/Surrey competition.
• Co-op Funeralcare: National UK funeral provider operated by the Co-operative Group with ~1,000 funeral homes and crematoria. Directly comparable service portfolio (traditional funerals, direct cremations, prepaid plans, bereavement support) and competes with Freeman Brothers for the same bereaved families in Sussex/Surrey.
• Dignity plc: One of the largest UK funeral services operators with ~800 branches nationwide. Comparable because they offer traditional funerals, direct cremations, and prepaid plans across the UK, providing a national benchmark for pricing, service range, and scale economics that Freeman Brothers competes against locally.

Others

• Golden Charter: UK prepaid funeral plan provider working with a network of independent funeral directors. Comparable as a partner/provider in the prepaid funeral plan market that Freeman Brothers also participates in via FCA authorization, and represents a potential distribution or partnership channel.

Peers

• Beyond (by Dignity):

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/freemanbrothers
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/freeman-brothers-funeral-directors

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Freeman Brothers Funeral Directors