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The Bank of England, which is now the Central Bank of the United Kingdom, has issued banknotes since 1694. In 1921 The Bank of England gained a legal monopoly on the issue of banknotes in England and Wales, a process that started with the Bank Charter Act of 1844 when the ability of other banks to issue notes was restricted. Banknotes were originally hand-written; although they were partially printed from 1725 onwards, cashiers still had to sign each note and make them payable to someone. Notes were fully printed from 1855. Since 1970, the Bank of England's notes have featured portraits of British historical figures. Of the eight banks authorised to issue banknotes in the UK, only the Bank of England can issue banknotes in England and Wales, where its notes are legal tender. Bank of England notes are not legal tender in Scotland and Northern Ireland, but are accepted there along with other notes. ==Current and forthcoming notes== All current Bank of England banknotes are printed by contract with De La Rue at Debden, Essex. They include the printed signature of the Chief Cashier of the Bank of England. 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; more recent issues also include the EURion constellation. The custom of depicting historical figures on the reverse began in 1970 with Series D, designed by the bank's first permanent artist, Harry Eccleston. The Bank of England Series D £1 note was discontinued in 1984, having been replaced by a pound coin the year before. The notes currently in circulation are as follows: * £5 note depicting Elizabeth Fry, showing a scene with her reading to prisoners in Newgate Prison * £10 note depicting Charles Darwin, a hummingbird and the HMS ''Beagle'' * £20 note, depicting Adam Smith with an illustration of 'The division of labour in pin manufacturing'. It also includes enhanced security features. This, the first note from the new Series F, entered circulation on 13 March 2007 * £50 note depicting Matthew Boulton and James Watt, with steam engine and Boulton's Soho factory A newly designed £5 banknote is to be issued in 2016. It will feature the 1941 Yousuf Karsh photographic portrait of Sir Winston Churchill, a view of the Palace of Westminster, and Churchill's 1953 Nobel Prize for Literature medal. A newly designed £10 banknote, featuring novelist Jane Austen, is expected to be issued in 2017. Both new notes are to be made from polymer rather than cotton paper. In 2015, the Bank of England launched a public competition to nominate historic personalities with links to the visual arts for a future redesign of the £20 banknote. The Governor of the Bank of England asked the public to "think beyond the obvious" when nominating suggestions, with over 29,700 nominations finally made. The new note is expected to be issued in 2020.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Bank of England note issues」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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