New banknotes, due to enter circulation this Autumn, have been designed by Clydesdale Bank to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns and the Year of Homecoming 2009.
The new family of banknotes celebrates famous and innovative Scots and the five World Heritage Sites in Scotland, among them Edinburgh's New and Old Towns, drawing on the Homecoming themes of Burns, Great Minds and Innovation, Culture and Heritage.
The new designs are:
- £5: Sir Alexander Fleming and St Kilda
- £10: Robert Burns and The Old and New Towns of Edinburgh
- £20: Robert the Bruce and New Lanark
- £50: Elsie Inglis and The Antonine Wall
- £100: Charles Rennie Mackintosh and the Heart of Neolithic Orkney
First Minister Alex Salmond thanked the Clydesdale Bank saying: "These
commemorative notes will be in circulation, worldwide, forever – I
cannot think of a greater start to our year of celebrations nor a
better, lasting legacy for Homecoming 2009."
The First Minister said he was "delighted" to see Robert Burns on the most widely used £10 note on the 250th anniversary of his birthday.
Clydesdale is currently the largest supplier of banknotes in Scotland and has been producing notes since 1838. With the Homecoming Scotland bank notes come a range of new security features, including ‘depth image’ holograms as well as strong design elements and colours.
About the People on the Banknotes
- £5: Sir Alexander Fleming (6 August 1881-11 March 1955) was a Scottish bacteriologist and Nobel Prize winner, best known for his discovery of penicillin.
- £10: Robert Burns (25 January 1759 - 21 July 1796) was a poet and a lyricist and is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland.
- £20: Robert I (11 July 1274 - 7 June 1329), known as Robert the Bruce, was the King of Scots who secured Scotland's independence from England.
- £50: Elsie Maud Inglis (16 August 1864 - 26 November 1917) was an innovative Scottish doctor and suffragette.
- £100: Charles Rennie Mackintosh (7 June 1868 - 10 December 1928) was an architect, designer and artist.
About the World Heritage Sites
- £5: St Kilda, was listed in 1986 for its natural heritage in 1986 (which was extended in 2004 to cover the marine environment), and for its cultural heritage in 2005. It is one of only 24 locations with dual World Heritage Status.
- £10: The Old & New Towns of Edinburgh was awarded its position in 1995.
- £20: New Lanark was awarded its UNESCO designation in 2001.
- £50: The Antonine Wall is the most recent addition, awarded its designation in 2008 as part of the ‘Frontiers of the Roman Empire'.
- £100: Heart of Neolithic Orkney was made a World Heritage Site in 1999