As of late 2007, the Tercentenary Series, introduced at the time of the Bank of Scotland's 300th anniversary in 1995, remains in circulation, but will be withdrawn as their physical condition deteriorates and will be replaced by the new Bridges of Scotland series:
* £5 note featuring a vignette of oil and energy
* £10 note featuring a vignette of distilling and brewing
* £20 note featuring a vignette of education and research
* £50 note featuring a vignette of arts and culture
* £100 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 1826.
A Bank of Scotland £20 note of the new 2007 issue
As of 17 September 2007, the Bank of Scotland introduced its new Bridges of Scotland notes, on which appear famous Scottish bridges:
* £5 features the Brig o' Doon
* £10 features the Glenfinnan Viaduct
* £20 features the Forth Bridge
* £50 features the Falkirk Wheel
* £100 features the Kessock Bridge
Again all the notes also depict Sir Walter Scott on the front.
Following the announcement that HBOS (Bank of Scotland's parent company) would be taken over by Lloyds TSB in September 2008, it was confirmed that the new banking company would continue to print bank notes under the Bank of Scotland name.[36] According to the 1845 Bank Notes (Scotland) Act, the bank could have lost its note-issuing rights, but by retaining headquarters within Scotland, banknote issue will continue.[37] Currently Lloyds TSB branches dispense Clydesdale bank notes and there will need to be negotiations to release Lloyds Banking Group from its contract with Clydesdale bank.[38]
[edit] Royal Bank of Scotland notes
Main article: Royal Bank of Scotland
A £100 Royal Bank of Scotland note.
The current series of Royal Bank of Scotland notes was originally issued in 1987. On the front of each note is a picture of Lord Ilay (1682–1761), the first governor of the bank. On the back of the notes are images of Scottish castles, with a different castle for each denomination:[39]
* £1 note featuring Edinburgh Castle
* £5 note featuring Culzean Castle
* £10 note featuring Glamis Castle
* £20 note featuring Brodick Castle
* £50 note featuring Inverness Castle (introduced 2005)
* £100 note featuring Balmoral Castle
Occasionally the Royal Bank of Scotland issues commemorative banknotes. Examples include the £1 note issued to mark the 150th Anniversary of the birth of Alexander Graham Bell in 1997, the £20 note for the 100th birthday of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother in 2000, and the £5 note honouring veteran golfer Jack Nicklaus in his last competitive Open Championship at St Andrews in 2005. These notes are much sought-after by collectors and they rarely remain long in circulation.
In addition to this, many people will collect a "lucky" £1 note, as they become increasingly rare (shops preferring to give change in £1 coins when they are available).
[edit] Clydesdale Bank notes
Main article: Clydesdale Bank
A £20 Clydesdale Bank note.
* £5 note featuring Robert Burns on the obverse and a vignette of a field mouse from Burns' poem To a Mouse on the reverse
* £10 note featuring Mary Slessor on the front and a vignette of a map of Calabar and African missionary scenes on the back
* £20 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 note featuring Adam Smith on the front and a vignette of industry tools against a background of sailing ships on the back
* £100 note featuring Lord Kelvin on the front and a vignette of the University of Glasgow on the back
In early 2009 Clydesdale Bank announced a new series of banknotes would be introduced later in the year.[40] The obverse designs will feature famous Scots while the reverse designs will feature Scotland's UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
A £5 Clydesdale Bank note featuring Sir Alexander Fleming.
* £5 note featuring Sir Alexander Fleming and St Kilda
* £10 note featuring Robert Burns and Edinburgh Old and New Towns
* £20 note featuring King Robert the Bruce and New Lanark
* £50 note featuring Elsie Inglis and the Antonine Wall
* £100 note featuring Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Neolithic Orkney
The Clydesdale Bank also occasionally issues special edition banknotes, such as a 10 pound note celebrating the bank's sponsorship of the Scotland team at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
[edit] Northern Ireland
A £20 Northern Bank note
Main article: Banknotes of Northern Ireland
Currently, four Northern Irish banks practise their right to issue pound sterling notes in Northern Ireland, with different series of denominations. Bank of Ireland issues notes from £5 to £100. First Trust Bank issues notes from £10 to £100, Northern Bank issues notes from £5 to £100, and Ulster Bank issues notes from £5 to £50.
Northern Bank and Ulster Bank are the only two banks that have issued commemorative notes so far. The only polymer banknote in the UK was issued by Northern Bank commemorating the new millennium. It is the only one of the bank's pre-2004 notes still in circulation after the recall of all others following the £26.5 million pound robbery at its Belfast headquarters in 2004.
[edit] Channel Islands
The Channel Islands are grouped for administrative purposes into the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The islands are not part of the United Kingdom but are dependencies of the British Crown and in currency union with the UK. Both Jersey and Guernsey issue their own banknotes. These notes circulate freely between the two territories, so Jersey notes are commonly used in Guernsey, and vice versa. Private banknotes are no longer in circulation in the Channel Islands.
The Government of Alderney (a part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey) is also licensed to issue its own currency, the Alderney pound, but only mints special commemorative sterling coins and does not issue banknotes.[41]
[edit] States of Jersey notes
The obverse of a 2010 issue Jersey £5 note.
The reverse of a 2010 issue Jersey £5 note.
Main article: Jersey pound
The current series of notes entered circulation on 29 April 2010[42]. The obverse of the notes includes a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II based on a photograph by Mark Lawrence, alongside a view of an important Jersey landmark, with text in English. The reverse of each note includes an image of one of Jersey's numerous historic coastal defence towers, built in the late 18th century, as well as a further image of cultural or landscape importance, images of the twelve parish crests, and with denomination worded in French and Jèrriais. The watermark is a Jersey cow, and further security features include a see-through map of Jersey, and on the £10, £20 and £50 a patch hologram showing a varying image of the coat of arms of Jersey and the Island of Jersey on a background pattern of La Corbière lighthouse.[43]
Denomination Colour Obverse design Reverse design
1 pound Green Queen Elizabeth II; Liberation Sculpture in Saint Helier Le Hocq Tower; La Hougue Bie
5 pounds Sky blue Queen Elizabeth II; Le Rât Cottage Archirondel Tower; Les Augrès Manor
10 pounds Burnt Sienna Queen Elizabeth II; Hermitage of Saint Helier Seymour Tower; Lalique sculpture in the Glass Church
20 pounds Violet Queen Elizabeth II; States Building La Rocco Tower; States Chamber
50 pounds Red Queen Elizabeth II; Mont Orgueil Tower, Ouaisné; La Marmotière, Les Écréhous
The previous series, gradually being withdrawn from circulation in 2010, depict Queen Elizabeth II on the front and various landmarks of Jersey or incidents in Jersey history on the reverse.
[edit] 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 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
* 50 pound note, light brown, Queen Elizabeth II and the Royal Court House on the front and St Andrew’s Church and La Gran’mère on the back
[edit] Isle of Man
Main article: Manx pound
The Isle of Man Government issues its own banknotes and coinage, which are legal tender only on the Isle of Man. Manx pounds are a local issue of the pound sterling.
The front of all Manx banknotes feature images of Queen Elizabeth II (not wearing a crown) and the Triskeles (three legs emblem). Each denomination features a different scene of the Island on its reverse side:
* £1 - Tynwald Hill
* £5 - Castle Rushen
* £10 - Peel Castle
* £20 - the Laxey Wheel
* £50 - Douglas Bay
* £5 note featuring a vignette of oil and energy
* £10 note featuring a vignette of distilling and brewing
* £20 note featuring a vignette of education and research
* £50 note featuring a vignette of arts and culture
* £100 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 1826.
A Bank of Scotland £20 note of the new 2007 issue
As of 17 September 2007, the Bank of Scotland introduced its new Bridges of Scotland notes, on which appear famous Scottish bridges:
* £5 features the Brig o' Doon
* £10 features the Glenfinnan Viaduct
* £20 features the Forth Bridge
* £50 features the Falkirk Wheel
* £100 features the Kessock Bridge
Again all the notes also depict Sir Walter Scott on the front.
Following the announcement that HBOS (Bank of Scotland's parent company) would be taken over by Lloyds TSB in September 2008, it was confirmed that the new banking company would continue to print bank notes under the Bank of Scotland name.[36] According to the 1845 Bank Notes (Scotland) Act, the bank could have lost its note-issuing rights, but by retaining headquarters within Scotland, banknote issue will continue.[37] Currently Lloyds TSB branches dispense Clydesdale bank notes and there will need to be negotiations to release Lloyds Banking Group from its contract with Clydesdale bank.[38]
[edit] Royal Bank of Scotland notes
Main article: Royal Bank of Scotland
A £100 Royal Bank of Scotland note.
The current series of Royal Bank of Scotland notes was originally issued in 1987. On the front of each note is a picture of Lord Ilay (1682–1761), the first governor of the bank. On the back of the notes are images of Scottish castles, with a different castle for each denomination:[39]
* £1 note featuring Edinburgh Castle
* £5 note featuring Culzean Castle
* £10 note featuring Glamis Castle
* £20 note featuring Brodick Castle
* £50 note featuring Inverness Castle (introduced 2005)
* £100 note featuring Balmoral Castle
Occasionally the Royal Bank of Scotland issues commemorative banknotes. Examples include the £1 note issued to mark the 150th Anniversary of the birth of Alexander Graham Bell in 1997, the £20 note for the 100th birthday of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother in 2000, and the £5 note honouring veteran golfer Jack Nicklaus in his last competitive Open Championship at St Andrews in 2005. These notes are much sought-after by collectors and they rarely remain long in circulation.
In addition to this, many people will collect a "lucky" £1 note, as they become increasingly rare (shops preferring to give change in £1 coins when they are available).
[edit] Clydesdale Bank notes
Main article: Clydesdale Bank
A £20 Clydesdale Bank note.
* £5 note featuring Robert Burns on the obverse and a vignette of a field mouse from Burns' poem To a Mouse on the reverse
* £10 note featuring Mary Slessor on the front and a vignette of a map of Calabar and African missionary scenes on the back
* £20 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 note featuring Adam Smith on the front and a vignette of industry tools against a background of sailing ships on the back
* £100 note featuring Lord Kelvin on the front and a vignette of the University of Glasgow on the back
In early 2009 Clydesdale Bank announced a new series of banknotes would be introduced later in the year.[40] The obverse designs will feature famous Scots while the reverse designs will feature Scotland's UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
A £5 Clydesdale Bank note featuring Sir Alexander Fleming.
* £5 note featuring Sir Alexander Fleming and St Kilda
* £10 note featuring Robert Burns and Edinburgh Old and New Towns
* £20 note featuring King Robert the Bruce and New Lanark
* £50 note featuring Elsie Inglis and the Antonine Wall
* £100 note featuring Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Neolithic Orkney
The Clydesdale Bank also occasionally issues special edition banknotes, such as a 10 pound note celebrating the bank's sponsorship of the Scotland team at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
[edit] Northern Ireland
A £20 Northern Bank note
Main article: Banknotes of Northern Ireland
Currently, four Northern Irish banks practise their right to issue pound sterling notes in Northern Ireland, with different series of denominations. Bank of Ireland issues notes from £5 to £100. First Trust Bank issues notes from £10 to £100, Northern Bank issues notes from £5 to £100, and Ulster Bank issues notes from £5 to £50.
Northern Bank and Ulster Bank are the only two banks that have issued commemorative notes so far. The only polymer banknote in the UK was issued by Northern Bank commemorating the new millennium. It is the only one of the bank's pre-2004 notes still in circulation after the recall of all others following the £26.5 million pound robbery at its Belfast headquarters in 2004.
[edit] Channel Islands
The Channel Islands are grouped for administrative purposes into the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The islands are not part of the United Kingdom but are dependencies of the British Crown and in currency union with the UK. Both Jersey and Guernsey issue their own banknotes. These notes circulate freely between the two territories, so Jersey notes are commonly used in Guernsey, and vice versa. Private banknotes are no longer in circulation in the Channel Islands.
The Government of Alderney (a part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey) is also licensed to issue its own currency, the Alderney pound, but only mints special commemorative sterling coins and does not issue banknotes.[41]
[edit] States of Jersey notes
The obverse of a 2010 issue Jersey £5 note.
The reverse of a 2010 issue Jersey £5 note.
Main article: Jersey pound
The current series of notes entered circulation on 29 April 2010[42]. The obverse of the notes includes a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II based on a photograph by Mark Lawrence, alongside a view of an important Jersey landmark, with text in English. The reverse of each note includes an image of one of Jersey's numerous historic coastal defence towers, built in the late 18th century, as well as a further image of cultural or landscape importance, images of the twelve parish crests, and with denomination worded in French and Jèrriais. The watermark is a Jersey cow, and further security features include a see-through map of Jersey, and on the £10, £20 and £50 a patch hologram showing a varying image of the coat of arms of Jersey and the Island of Jersey on a background pattern of La Corbière lighthouse.[43]
Denomination Colour Obverse design Reverse design
1 pound Green Queen Elizabeth II; Liberation Sculpture in Saint Helier Le Hocq Tower; La Hougue Bie
5 pounds Sky blue Queen Elizabeth II; Le Rât Cottage Archirondel Tower; Les Augrès Manor
10 pounds Burnt Sienna Queen Elizabeth II; Hermitage of Saint Helier Seymour Tower; Lalique sculpture in the Glass Church
20 pounds Violet Queen Elizabeth II; States Building La Rocco Tower; States Chamber
50 pounds Red Queen Elizabeth II; Mont Orgueil Tower, Ouaisné; La Marmotière, Les Écréhous
The previous series, gradually being withdrawn from circulation in 2010, depict Queen Elizabeth II on the front and various landmarks of Jersey or incidents in Jersey history on the reverse.
[edit] 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 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
* 50 pound note, light brown, Queen Elizabeth II and the Royal Court House on the front and St Andrew’s Church and La Gran’mère on the back
[edit] Isle of Man
Main article: Manx pound
The Isle of Man Government issues its own banknotes and coinage, which are legal tender only on the Isle of Man. Manx pounds are a local issue of the pound sterling.
The front of all Manx banknotes feature images of Queen Elizabeth II (not wearing a crown) and the Triskeles (three legs emblem). Each denomination features a different scene of the Island on its reverse side:
* £1 - Tynwald Hill
* £5 - Castle Rushen
* £10 - Peel Castle
* £20 - the Laxey Wheel
* £50 - Douglas Bay