Hi List This notice concerning the death of a Lord Ashton, descendent of cotton mill owners in Hyde, appears in the Gloucestershire Echo today. http://www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk/cheltenham/Lord-hunt-dies/article-294870-detail/article.html Quote "The Ashton family were cotton pioneers in the small town of Hyde, east of Manchester. In 1800, six Ashton brothers were involved in the foundations of a business which grew to be the town's biggest employer, engaged in spinning, weaving and calico printing" End Quote How many of our ancestors slaved away in the family's mills? It is fascinating to see that his qualifications for becoming a Director of Barclays Bank were- Eton, Army- History at Oxford- Bank Director. If this was the normal route to directorship of the Bank, little wonder that it has suffered such a catastrophic series of management disasters over recent years. Terry Heath Cheltenham