Holding(s) in Company

Oxford Instruments PLC
21 January 2002



The Company has been notified today for the purposes of Part VI of the Companies
Act 1985 on behalf of Aberforth Limited Partnership IA and Aberforth Limited
Partnership IB, each having its principal place of business at 14 Melville
Street, Edinburgh EH3 7NS, that today Aberforth Limited Partnership IA and
Aberforth Limited Partnership IB have become aware that together they have a
notifiable interest of 1,600,000 Ordinary Shares of 5p in aggregate which,
represents 3.34% of the issued share capital of Oxford Instruments plc.

Aberforth Limited Partnership IA and Aberforth Limited Partnership IB entered
into an agreement to which section 204 of the Companies Act 1985 applied on 9th
February 2001 ('the Agreement'). There are no other parties to this Agreement.
Aberforth Limited Partnership IA is the beneficial owner of 800,000 Ordinary
Shares of 5p and Aberforth Limited Partnership IB is the beneficial owner of
800,000 Ordinary Shares of 5p. By virtue of the agreement, each of Aberforth
Limited Partnership IA and Aberforth Limited Partnership IB, is interested, in
addition to the shares beneficially owned by it, in the shares beneficially
owned by the other by virtue of sections 204 and 205 of the Companies Act 1985.

This notification is also made on behalf of the partners of each of Aberforth
Limited Partnership IA and Aberforth Limited Partnership IB save to the extent
that such partners have other interests in the securities to which this
notification relates. The names and addresses of each of the partners are
undernoted below.

The shares to which this notification relates are registered as follows:
Registered Holder                                            Number of Shares
Clydesdale Bank (Head Office) Nominees Limited                     800,000

Account: ABERLP1A
Clydesdale Bank (Head Office) Nominees Limited                     800,000

Account: ABERLP1B

For your information, please note that the above holdings form part of the total
interest of Aberforth Partners which, at present, total 5,880,000 shares, being
12.29%.

Note referred to above:

Partners of Aberforth Limited Partnership IA:

 1. Aberforth LGP IA Limited, 14 Melville Street, Edinburgh EH3 7NS
 2. Aberforth Partners Assets LP I, 14 Melville Street, Edinburgh EH3 7NS
 3. Aberforth Special LP IA, 14 Melville Street, Edinburgh EH3 7NS
 4. Aberforth Special LP IB, 14 Melville Street, Edinburgh EH3 7NS
 5. A&OT Investments Limited, c/o Baillie Gifford & Co., 1 Rutland Court,
    Edinburgh EH3 8EY
 6. Brittanic Investment Managers Limited, Brittanic Court, 50 Bothwell Street,
    Glasgow G2 6HR
 7. Caledonia Investment Funds Limited, Cayzer House, 30 Buckingham Gate, London
    SW1E 6NN
 8. Co-operative Insurance Society Limited, Miller Street, Manchester M60 0AL
 9. Guild Ventures Limited, Lynton House, Ackhurst Park, Chorley, Lancashire PR7
    1NY
10. The Monks Investment Trust plc, c/o Baillie Gifford & Co., 1 Rutland Court,
    Edinburgh EH3 8EY



Partners of Aberforth Limited Partnership IB


    1.     Aberforth LGP IB Limited, 14 Melville Street, Edinburgh EH3 7NS

 2. Aberforth Partners Assets LP I, 14 Melville Street, Edinburgh EH3 7NS
 3. Aberforth Special LP IB, 14 Melville Street, Edinburgh EH3 7NS
 4. Aberforth Special LP IB, 14 Melville Street, Edinburgh EH3 7NS
 5. Bank of England Pension Fund, acting by BE Pension Fund Trustees Limited,
    Chief Investment Manager, Threadneedle Street, London EC2R 8AH
 6. Britel Fund Nominees Limited, Lloyds Chambers, 1 Portsoken Street, London E1
    8HZ
 7. The Bank of N.T. Butterfield & Son (C.I.) Limited as custodian of Hansa Fund
    PCC Limited, Somers House, Rue de Pre, St Peter Port, Guernsey, GY1 3NS
 8. Forbes Limited, St Anastase, Mont de St Anastase, St Peter, Jersey, Channel
    Islands JE3 7ES
 9. Merseyside Pension Fund, Castle Chambers, 4/6 Cook Street, Liverpool L69 2NW
10. The Scottish Investment Trust plc, 6 Albyn Place, Edinburgh RH2 4NL
11. Uberior Investments plc, The Mound, Edinburgh EH1 1YZ



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