Directors' Share Purchases

Persimmon PLC
13 December 2002

Directors' share purchases

Persimmon plc ('the Company') announces that on 10 December 2002, Hamish Leslie
Melville, Non-Executive Director, purchased 28,750 ordinary shares in the
Company at a price of 380p per share. Mr Leslie Melville's resultant holding is
200,000 shares, representing 0.07% of the issued share capital of the Company.

On 12 December 2002, Duncan Davidson, Non-Executive Chairman, purchased 50,000
ordinary shares in the Company at a price of 362p per share. As a result, Mr
Davidson and his family are interested in 17,368,466 shares, representing 6.2%
of the issued share capital of the Company.

Also on 12 December 2002, John Millar, Divisional Chief Executive, purchased
20,000 ordinary shares in the Company at 361.5p. Mr and Mrs Millar's resultant
holding is 387,604 shares, representing 0.1% of the issued share capital of the
Company.

Persimmon plc further notes that, taking into account the above share purchases,
five Directors, including the Chairman, Chief Executive and Finance Director,
have now purchased a total of 198,750 ordinary shares in the Company since 5
November 2002.


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