Time to Pay His Tithes

David Glover discovered that Bill Gates has ancestral ties to the town of Halifax in Yorkshire.

His great grandfather 11 times removed is believed to have been Jonas Halstead, born in 1611, the son of a yeoman clothier from nearby Northowram.

The Halsteads were a Puritan family in the area and became increasingly disturbed about the direction the parish church in Halifax was taking.

So disturbed that Jonas ran off to the New World in 1635. Now the church is coming after his billionaire descendant.

Mr Glover, 52, a prominent member of the congregation, said: "I wrote to [Gates] at his home address telling him of my findings, and asking him, as a well-known and respected philanthropist, if he might like to make a donation to Halifax's ancient parish church." [Link]