Banknotes of the pound sterling

British banknotes are the banknotes of the United Kingdom and British Islands, denominated in pounds sterling (GBP).

Issuing banks

Pound sterling banknotes are issued:

In England by the Bank of England

These are legal tender in England and Wales, and generally accepted throughout the UK;

In Scotland by:
- the Bank of Scotland;
- the Royal Bank of Scotland;
- the Clydesdale Bank;

These are recognised currency in Scotland, and generally accepted throughout the UK;

In Northern Ireland by:
- the Bank of Ireland
- First Trust Bank
- Northern Bank
- Ulster Bank

These are rarely seen outside Northern Ireland. They are generally accepted in Scotland, but are often not accepted in England and Wales without some explanation.

Sterling banknotes are also issued by the following British dependencies outside the UK:

Bank of England notes are the only banknotes that are legal tender in England and Wales. Scottish, Northern Ireland, Jersey, Guernsey and Manx banknotes are not legal tender in England and Wales. However, they are not illegal under English law and creditors and traders may accept them if they so choose.

In Scotland and Northern Ireland no banknotes - not even ones issued in those regions - are legal tender, although Bank of England one pound notes were when they existed: Bank of England notes of under five pounds value are legal tender. Scottish and Northern Irish notes are 'promissory notes', essentially cheques made out from the bank to 'the bearer', as the wording on each note says.

Issuers

England and Wales

Bank of England notes

File:Bank Of England10.gif

A £10 Bank of England note.

File:Bank Of England20.gif

A £20 Bank of England note.

In 1921 the Bank of England gained a legal monopoly on the issue of banknotes in England and Wales, a process that started in 1844 when the ability of other banks to issues notes was restricted.

The bank issued its first banknotes in 1694, although until 1745 they were written for irregular amounts, rather than pre-defined multiples of a pound. It tended to be times of war, which put inflationary pressure on the British economy which led to greater note issue. In 1759 during the Seven Years' War, when the lowest value note issued by the Bank was £20, a £10 note was issued for the first time. In 1793, during the war with revolutionary France, the Bank issued the first £5 note. Four years later, £1 and £2 notes appeared, although not on a permanent basis. Notes did not become entirely machine-printed and payable to the bearer until 1855.

At the start of World War I, the government issued £1 and 10-shilling Treasury notes to supplant the sovereign and half-sovereign gold coins. The first coloured banknotes were issued in 1928, and were also the first notes to be printed on both sides. World War II saw a reversal in the trend of warfare creating more notes when, in order to combat forgery, higher denomination notes (at the time as high as £1,000) were removed from circulation.

As of July 2005 the Bank of England banknotes in circulation, known as Series E, do not exceed £50. Higher notes are used within the banks, particularly those of £100 notes to maintain parity with issued Scottish and Northern Irish notes. The notes are as follows:

5 pound note with Elizabeth Fry, showing a meeting of people possibly discussing prisoners' rights.
10 pound note with Charles Darwin, a hummingbird and the HMS Beagle.
20 pound note with Sir Edward Elgar, with a view of the west face of Worcester Cathedral.
50 pound note with Sir John Houblon, with a view of his house in Threadneedle Street.

Issues of banknotes by Scottish and Northern Irish banks have to be backed by Bank of England notes, other than a small amount representing the currency in circulation in 1845, for which purpose special million pound notes are used, though these resemble simple IOUs and bear no aesthetic design features. [1]

As of 2005, they are signed by the Chief Cashier, Andrew Bailey.

All the notes issued since Series C in 1960 also depict Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom in full view facing left and as a watermark, hidden, facing right; recent issues have the EURion constellation around. The custom of depicting historical figures on the reverse began with Series D in 1970. Previous banknotes have depicted Sir Isaac Newton, the Duke of Wellington, Florence Nightingale, William Shakespeare, Sir Christopher Wren, George Stephenson, Charles Dickens and Michael Faraday

The Bank of England Series D one pound note was discontinued in 1984, being replaced by a pound coin.

Scotland

Bank of Scotland notes

In circulation:

5 pound note featuring a vignette of oil and energy
10 pound note featuring a vignette of distilling and brewing
20 pound note featuring a vignette of education and research
50 pound note featuring a vignette of arts and culture
100 pound note featuring a vignette of leisure and tourism

All the notes also depict Sir Walter Scott who was instrumental in retaining the right of Scottish banks to issue their own notes in the 1840s.

Royal Bank of Scotland notes

in circulation are:

1 pound note featuring Edinburgh Castle
5 pound note featuring Culzean Castle
10 pound note featuring Glamis Castle
20 pound note featuring Brodick Castle
100 pound note featuring Balmoral Castle

All these notes also depict Lord Ilay (1682-1761), first governor of the bank.

Occasionally the Royal Bank issues commemorative banknotes, usually in the £5 denomination. Examples are for the 100th birthday of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother in 2000, and honouring veteran golfer Jack Nicklaus in his last competitive Open competition at St Andrews in 2005 (an issue of two million notes).

Clydesdale Bank notes

File:ClydesdaleBank20.jpg

A £20 Clydesdale Bank note.

5 pound note featuring Robert Burns on the obverse and a vignette of a field mouse from Burns' "To a Mouse" on the reverse
10 pound note featuring Mary Slessor on the front and a vignette of a map of Calabar and African missionary scenes on the back
20 pound note featuring Robert the Bruce on the front and a vignette of the Bruce on horseback with the Monymusk Reliquary against a background of Stirling Castle on the back
50 pound note featuring Adam Smith on the front and a vignette of industry tools against a background of sailing ships on the back
100 pound note featuring Lord Kelvin on the front and a vignette of Glasgow University on the back

Northern Ireland

Bank of Ireland notes

All Bank of Ireland notes feature Queen's University on the obverse. The principle difference between the denominations is their colour and size.

5 pound note, blue
10 pound note, pink
20 pound note, green
50 pound note, blue-green

First Trust Bank notes

First Trust Bank's current notes depict generic people of Northern Ireland on the front, alternately male and female, but with a pair of older people on the £100. The obverse generally features designs associated with the Spanish Armada, or coastal features.

5 pound note featuring Dunluce Castle on the obverse
10 pound note featuring the Girona (galeass) on the obverse
20 pound note featuring the chimney at Lagada Point on the obverse
50 pound note featuring a commemorative medal on the obverse
100 pound note featuring the Armada on the obverse

Northern Bank notes

5 pound polymer note featuring the U.S. space shuttle
10 pound note featuring J.B. Dunlop on the front and the portico of Belfast's city hall on the back
20 pound note featuring Harry Ferguson on the front and the portico of Belfast City Hall on the back
50 pound note featuring Sir S.C. Davidson on the front and the portico of Belfast City Hall on the back
100 pound note featuring Sir James Martin on the front and the portico of Belfast City Hall on the back

Following the theft of £22 million from its money handling centre in Belfast on 22 December 2004, allegedly by the Provisional IRA, Northern Bank announced on 7 January 2005 that all its notes were to be recalled and reissued in different colours and styles, and using the bank's new logo. The reissue began on 14 March 2005. See Northern Bank robbery.

Ulster Bank notes

Ulster Bank's current notes all share a rather plain design of a view of Belfast harbour flanked by landscape views; the design of the reverse is dominated by the bank's coats-of-arms. The principle difference between the denominations is their colour and size.

5 pound note, purple.
10 pound note, blue-green.
20 pound note, purple.
50 pound note, blue.

Channel Islands

States of Jersey notes

Main article: Jersey pound

The Treasurer of the States of Jersey, Channel Islands, holds £1.10 in Bank of England notes for each £1 issued, making the Jersey Pound a very strong currency. The current notes depict Queen Elizabeth II on the front and various landmarks of Jersey or incidents in Jersey history on the reverse. The watermark is a Jersey cow

1 pound note, green, St. Helier Parish Church (In 2004, a special edition £1 note is in general circulation alongside the St. Helier Parish Church note; this commemorative note marks the 800th anniversary of the division of the Duchy of Normandy in 1204 and the design consequently includes Mont Orgueil Castle and other historic symbols)
5 pound note, purple, La Corbière lighthouse
10 pound note, red, The Death of Major Pierson, Battle of Jersey, 1781
20 pound note, blue, St. Ouen's manor
50 pound note, brown, Government House

States of Guernsey notes

Main article: Guernsey pound

The Guernsey Pound is legal tender only in Guernsey, but also circulates freely in Jersey. Elsewhere it can be exchanged in banks and bureaux de change. In addition to coins, the following banknotes are also used

1 pound note, green, Daniel De Lisle Brock, Bailiff of Guernsey 1762 - 1842 and Royal Court, St Peter Port 1840 on front and the Market, St Peter Port on back
5 pound note, pink, Queen Elizabeth II and the Town Church, St Peter Port on front, and Fort Grey and Hanois Lighthouse 1862 on the back
10 pound note, blue/orange, Queen Elizabeth II and Elizabeth College, St Peter Port on the front and Saumarez Park, Les Niaux Watermill, Le Trepid Dolmen on the back
20 pound note, pink, Queen Elizabeth II and St James Concert Hall, St Peter Port on the front and Vale Castle and St Sampson's Church on the back

The monarch on bank notes

Queen Elizabeth II was the first British monarch to have her face on UK banknotes. Prior to the issue of its Series C banknotes in 1960, Bank of England banknotes did not depict the monarch. Even today, notes issued by the other note issuing banks do not depict the monarch.