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| | Guardian | Michael Theakston |
 | | He was the great-grandson of the founder Robert Theakston, who had started brewing at the Black Bull pub in Masham in 1827, and was the grandson of Thomas Theakston, who built the present brewery in 1875. |
 | | Theakston's became a cult brand as beer lovers discovered its now legendary strong ale, Old Peculier: the name marks the time, in the Middle Ages, when Masham was a "peculier", a parish outside the jurisdiction of a bishop. |
 | | Theakston eventually stood down as chairman, but continued to play a close role in the brewery, taking parties of visitors round the site, which included one of the few remaining coopers' workshops where wooden casks were made. |
| www.guardian.co.uk /print/0,,5028910-103684,00.html (761 words) |
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