Freeman's middle name has been spelt variously as 'Winifride', 'Winefride', 'Winnifred' and 'Winifred' in the records of her exhibits, but the artist is now usually known as Winifrid Freeman. [Note: Wallace, followed by Tovey, uses 'Maud' for her first name, but this is not on her birth certificate, which records her birth in Falmouth 26 April 1866 (GRO)]

Her family were the owners of the Freeman Granite Works, near Penryn bridge, and thereby wealthy, which meant her interest in art could be indulged, and she began exhibiting with RCPS in 1887. A younger sister, Amy Mary Freeman, became the second wife of the artist Charles Napier HEMY.

Her friends were Henry Scott TUKE and Maria TUKE, and through introductions by them and her brother-in-law, Hemy, she was living at Newlyn by 1897 and her work associated with the Newlyn School. In 1902 she enrolled at the Herkomer Art School at Bushey, and when this closed in 1904 she stayed on.

Her watercolour subjects were mainly interiors, portraits, landscapes and coastal scenes. She also exhibited embroideries. Her embroideries A Flying Dutchman and The Vikings were exhibited at the NAG Christmas Show in 1924 and drew special praise: 'the latter being an original design by this well-known West country artist' (WMN).

In 1926 she moved from Falmouth to St Ives, and lived at 7 Bellair Terrace, but does not appear to have exhibited with STISA after 1941. A devout Roman Catholic, she was also unafraid of shocking others by smoking in public and riding on her bicycle in plus-fours with paints and easel strapped to her back. She died 8 August, 1961, age 95, and is buried in the Freeman family vault at Swanpool, Falmouth.