J & T F MACFARLANE LIMITED

🌳Matureactive
SC137802 · ltd · incorporated 1992-04-14
Investment thesis
Established operating company — standard diligence applies, no dominant angle.
Why interesting: Live, filing, normal profile.
Why risky: No standout signals in either direction.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Apr 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
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What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 01410
Sector: Agriculture, forestry & fishing
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
  • 01450SIC 01450
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 74-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 67/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 74). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 4 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

4 live charges · 4 lenders · oldest 33.8y

35/100
too messy

Refinance path is blocked by complexity. Rethink structure or expect bespoke, expensive terms.

  • · Oldest live charge is 33.8 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · 4 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
  • · Legal-friction score 35/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (76/100)

Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.

Company profile
address, 2 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
4 charges (4/4 with lender, 4/4 with type)
90
Directors & officers
5 officers (3 active, 5 linked, 2 with DOB)
78
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
87 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
82/100Exceptional
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.

Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
£0£0£0£0£0£0Apr 2024Apr 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102
Metric2025-04-302024-04-30
Average employees121200

Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.

🔒Filing-note intelligence

2 signals detected in this company's narrative notes — going-concern language, audit opinion, contingent liabilities, related-party transactions.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →

Recent activity

Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
1
filing
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
2
filings
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
  • • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (28 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-01-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2024-12-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  3. 2024-01-12
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  4. 2023-02-03
    📄
    mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
    mortgage · MR01
  5. 2023-02-01
    🔒
    Charge registered #4
    Lender: Clydesdale Bank PLC (Trading as Virgin Money) (Company Number SC001111)
  6. 2023-01-17
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  7. 2022-11-30
    📄
    mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
    mortgage · MR01
  8. 2022-11-17
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: E Power Limited
  9. 2022-02-01
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2021-04-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  11. 2020-01-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  12. 2019-12-04
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  13. 2019-01-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  14. 2018-01-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  15. 2017-01-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  16. 2016-04-20
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  17. 2016-01-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  18. 2009-04-27
    ➕
    MACFARLANE, Mary Elizabeth appointed
    director
  19. 2004-01-29
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  20. 2004-01-22
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
  21. 1992-08-07
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  22. 1992-04-14
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As J & T F MACFARLANE LIMITED
  23. 1992-04-14
    ➕
    MACFARLANE, Mary Elizabeth appointed
    secretary
  24. 1992-04-14
    ➕
    MACFARLANE, Thomas Frame appointed
    director
  25. 1992-04-14
    ➕
    OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  26. 1992-04-14
    ➖
    OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  27. 1992-04-14
    ➕
    JORDANS (SCOTLAND) LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-director
  28. 1992-04-14
    ➖
    JORDANS (SCOTLAND) LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-director

Owner dependency

100/100
Critical — business is the founder

The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.

FACTORS
  • +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
  • +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "MACFARLANE" — strong identity link between founder and business.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 34 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 74 — succession pressure is live.
  • +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.

Succession & seller-readiness

96/100
Likely off-market candidate

Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 74 years old. Natural succession window is now.
  • secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 34 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 34 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
  • supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.

Red flags

clean
No red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)

Shareholders & ownership

2 active beneficial owners
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mrs Mary Elizabeth Macfarlane
Individual · British · DOB 08/1958 · age 68
25–50%
25–50%25-50% shares · 25-50% voting06/04/2016
Mr Thomas Frame Macfarlane
Individual · British · DOB 02/1952 · age 74
25–50%
25–50%25-50% shares · 25-50% voting06/04/2016

From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.

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JSW ACCESS & TREE SERVICES LIMITED→
12223460 · est 2019 · no financials extracted
————6y——
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06788163 · est 2009 · no financials extracted
————17y——
LINDISFARNE LUING LIMITED→
07449519 · est 2010 · no financials extracted
————15y——
LOWICK HALL ESTATES LIMITED(THE)→
00368118 · est 1941 · no financials extracted
————84y——
MINDRUM FARMING COMPANY LIMITED→
01021807 · est 1971 · no financials extracted
————54y——
PENMAR FARMING LIMITED→
03053098 · est 1995 · no financials extracted
————30y——
REDPATH FISHERIES LTD→
11712649 · est 2018 · no financials extracted
————7y——
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00060938 · est 1899 · no financials extracted
————127y——
ROBSON URWIN & CO. LIMITED→
01106530 · est 1973 · no financials extracted
————53y——
RUTHERFORD FARMING LIMITED→
03351752 · est 1997 · no financials extracted
————29y——
SHIDLAW FARMING LIMITED→
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————13y——
SIMON AINSCOUGH FARMS LIMITED→
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————28y——
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions

8 specific questions generated from this company's actual signals — liquidity, leverage, director age, charge count, red flags, age-of-company.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →
🔒Advanced scoring suite

Exit-route ranking, improvement thesis, quiet-distress detector, covenant-pressure proxy, extraction monitor, approaching triggers, ownership drift, local cluster, value trap, debt capacity, archetype classification — 48+ scoring modules.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →

Company details

Statusactive
Typeltd
Incorporated1992-04-14
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC01410 — SIC 01410

Registered office

Flass Farm
Westruther
Gordon
Berwickshire
TD3 6NJ

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-01-31
Last made up to: 2025-04-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-04-28
Last: 2026-04-14

Officers (3 active · 2 resigned)

MACFARLANE, Mary Elizabeth→
secretary · appointed 1992-04-14
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
MACFARLANE, Mary Elizabeth→
director · ~68y · appointed 2009-04-27
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
MACFARLANE, Thomas Frame→
director · ~74y · appointed 1992-04-14
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1992-04-14 · resigned 1992-04-14
Resigned
JORDANS (SCOTLAND) LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 1992-04-14 · resigned 1992-04-14
Resigned

Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.

Mortgages & charges

4
Total charges
3
Outstanding
2
Active lenders
Status:Lender:4 of 4 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
Virgin Money
Clydesdale Bank PLC (Trading as Virgin Money) (Company Number SC001111)
A registered charge—01/02/2023—
outstanding
E Power
E Power Limited
A registered charge1 property17/11/2022—
outstanding
Virgin Money
Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
Floating charge1 property22/01/2004—
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Floating charge1 property07/08/199229/01/2004
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (87 total)

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-04-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-01-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-04-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-12-23
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-04-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-01-12
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-04-21
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2023-02-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-01-17
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2022-11-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-04-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-02-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-04-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-04-21
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-04-28