Director Shareholding

Barclays PLC
09 March 2004






                                                                    9 March 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 8 March 2004 that it had
between 1 March 2004 and 5 March 2004 exercised its discretion and released
472,330 ordinary shares in Barclays PLC to participants in the Executive Share
Award Scheme ('ESAS'). The participants to whom the shares were released are not
directors of Barclays PLC.

2.       The independent trustee of the ESAS Trust further notified the Company
on 8 March 2004 that it had on 4 March 2004 and 5 March 2004 purchased a total
of 11,763,002 ordinary shares in Barclays PLC at prices of 490.6p and 495.3p per
share.

3.       The trustee of the Barclays Group Share Incentive Plan ('the SIP')
informed the Company on 8 March 2004 that on 8 March 2004 it had purchased, and
now held as bare trustee under the SIP, the following ordinary shares in the
capital of Barclays PLC for the following directors at a price of 497.00p per
share:

Director            Number of Shares
Mr G A Hoffman      25
Mr C J Lendrum      25
Mr D L Roberts      25
Mr J S Varley       25

The revised total shareholding for each director following these transactions,
is as follows:

Director          Beneficial Holding   Non Beneficial
                                       Holding
Mr G A Hoffman    132,954              -
Mr C J Lendrum    237,400              -
Mr D L Roberts    62,107               -
Mr J S Varley     329,549              -

Following these transactions, the trustees of all the Barclays Group employees'
benefit trusts hold a total of 110,179,528 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.




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