Director Shareholding

Barclays PLC
14 April 2004


                                                                   14 April 2004



         Notification of directors' interests: Companies Act 1985 s.329

1.       The independent trustee of the Barclays Group (ESAS) Employees' Benefit
Trust, (the 'ESAS trust') notified the Company on 13 April that it had between 5
April 2004 and 8 April 2004 exercised its discretion and released 9,197 ordinary
shares in Barclays PLC to participants in the Executive Share Award Scheme
('ESAS'). None of these shares were released to a director of Barclays PLC.

Following these transactions, the trustees of all the Barclays Group employees'
benefit trusts hold a total of 106,874,298 ordinary shares in Barclays PLC. Sir
Peter Middleton, Chairman, and the executive directors of Barclays PLC are
amongst the potential beneficiaries under these trusts and are therefore
regarded for Companies Act purposes as being interested in the Barclays PLC
ordinary shares held in them.





                      This information is provided by RNS
            The company news service from the London Stock Exchange