please empty your brain below
For a start, maybe petition for, say, Alex Ferguson after his death. Unless he dies in London, that is.

Patrickov | 23.06.21 - 6:25 a.m. | #

I could not say with any confidence that in my 50 odd years I have ever had a £50 note in my possession. I cannot remember ever seeing one either. I don't anticipate I ever will.

Who uses them?

Jim | 23.06.21 - 7:35 a.m. | #

"They are used more often than people realise," said the Bank of England's chief cashier, Sarah John, whose signature is on the note.

"A lot of tourist spending is dependent on £50 banknotes. They are also used as a store of value."

There are still 357 million in circulation - the equivalent of one in 13 banknotes.

diamond geezer | Homepage | 23.06.21 - 7:42 a.m. | #

I have had the odd £50 over the years from Series D,E & F

Andrew Jarman | 23.06.21 - 7:43 a.m. | #

I've occasionally seen a £50 note at a charity race night, when I have been acting as a cashier.

They do have a certain quality of monopoly money, being both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.

Man of Kent | 23.06.21 - 8:18 a.m. | #

The builder who repaired our patio has certainly handled a fair few £50 notes in his time since he told us he preferred cash in hand rather than a bank transfer when it came to payment.

MOTB | 23.06.21 - 8:19 a.m. | #

Appreciate that representation is an important issue, but for the majority of under 30s - including those spenders yet to be born - banknotes are unlikely to be much more than an anachronism, and a choice of historical figure on a debit card may be more apposite.

Frank F | 23.06.21 - 8:23 a.m. | #

As a tourist I have used them a lot since they have been issued. If you exchange your money in the EU for pounds you are very likely to get them, unless you ask otherwise.
They have proved ideal for visiting Collectors shows and SF Comic cons.

Michael | 23.06.21 - 8:27 a.m. | #

Under Series F, I suspect you meant t write that Matthew (Boulton) was a confirmed Brummie.

dg writes: fixed, thanks.

Timothy Richardson | 23.06.21 - 8:35 a.m. | #

I wonder how many people famous enough to be on a banknote haven't lived in London at some point. It wouldnt be surprised if it isnt around 10% to 20% so perhaps the choices reflect history.

dg writes: Two, or 11%. Do read the post.

Trying to choose historical figures that match current views on diversity it troublesome, particularly if those choices were born somewhere else in what was then the empire.

Jimbo | 23.06.21 - 8:51 a.m. | #

Mr Turner did well for himself. Not many 25 year olds can afford a house in Harley Street.

scrumpy | 23.06.21 - 8:55 a.m. | #

Flipping the question around, how easy will it be to find dead people of note (ha) who never lived in London? Even the most regionally specific artists, writers, engineers and reformers will likely have spent some time here.
To pick some examples at random (and typical “banknote candidates”) Wordsworth will always be associated with the Lakes, but lived in town briefly, and wrote one of the best-known poems about the capital. Dylan Thomas: very Welsh, lived in Fitzrovia. Thomas Telford was a Scot who worked in the north-west, but ended up living (and dying) in London. George Eliot wrote of the Midlands, but lived in Wandsworth. Etc etc.
I think you might get away with George Formby, though even he would have spent time at film studios around the capital.

Philip | 23.06.21 - 8:59 a.m. | #

Very few notable people have never lived in London at some point though, we're a small country geographically with a dominant capital city, where all the historical institutions are - Parliament, Royal Society, Royal Academy etc. Plus it's the centre of the entertainment industry.

Even amongst modern day celebs, most will have spent some time in the capital. The world of sport is probably one which is less London centric, Alan Shearer or Ryan Giggs for the next £10 note LOL

Mikey C | 23.06.21 - 9:35 a.m. | #

I once took out thousands in 50s from the bank and immediately paid it into the building society next door to avoid waiting for a cheque to clear.

I think one or both of the Brunels are more deserving than footballers.

kev | 23.06.21 - 11:34 a.m. | #

I would guess that any candidate for a banknote would have to be associated with English (or possibly Welsh) history, as Sotland and NI issue their own banknotes. Thay makes a London connection even more likely - although some of those listed are a bit tenuous anyway. For example, Darwin's home would not have been considered to be part of the metropolis until 1965.

✉ dg writes: That’s the comment in today’s sealed envelope, which means I get to celebrate with a Creme Egg. :)

Timbo | 23.06.21 - 11:44 a.m. | #

>> Mikey C "Very few notable people have never lived in London at some point though"

Is that really the case? How do you know this?

Agent X | 23.06.21 - 11:58 a.m. | #

I've had £50 notes out of the cash machine a few times when preparing election deposits as our Electoral Services won't accept cheques or bank transfers for this. In this part of Newham a lot of shops are still cash only and a lot of other transactions are also still done with cash so it's not that surprising to get the higher value notes.

Tim Roll-Pickering | 23.06.21 - 12:57 p.m. | #

Not sure if you need to un-eat that Creme Egg, but Charles Darwin lived on Gower Street after he married and before moving to Down House to escape the London air, meaning he was a London resident for longer, and well within what would be considered London at the time.

dg writes: Updated, thanks.
My chocolate ration remains intact.

Mo Hassan | 23.06.21 - 1:08 p.m. | #

I think it's a fair assumption as the UK is very Londoncentric. Many people from other parts of the country will have trained or studied in London, spent time in London due to the national bodies based there (whether in politics, arts or science), recorded music/films/TV in London, worked in London on major engineering projects etc

Mikey C | 23.06.21 - 4:22 p.m. | #

Those who make a fuss about gender imbalance seem to forget that a woman's head has featured on every BoE note for the last 67 years.

John M. | 23.06.21 - 5:16 p.m. | #

I think in the academic sphere there is likely a strong list of candidates who might well have spent their careers in University cities such as Glasgow, Manchester, Oxford and Cambridge.

I was going cite Stephen Hawking and Lord Kelvin as examples, though Wikipedia tells me both have spent time living in London, but not for obvious career purposes. There's some Scottish enlightenment academics, such as David Hume and Adam Smith, who haven't lived in London as far as I can tell.

James | 23.06.21 - 6:18 p.m. | #

On the last comment I refer you to the first line of Series F.

Robert Butlin | 24.06.21 - 7:35 a.m. | #

Haha, yes I spotted that shortly after posting it. But nevertheless attempting to compose a list of people who would be eligible for 'Not London' banknotes could be fun... I've since thought of Philip Larkin.

James | 24.06.21 - 8:43 a.m. | #

I'm not sure you'd have a Scottish figure on the banknotes unless they have some wider British connections anyway, seeing that they have their own banknotes (other than James Watt and Adam Smith, obviously).

Larkin is one notable person with no London connections, but not important enough really to appear on a banknote

Mikey C | 24.06.21 - 9:12 a.m. | #

I would argue that there isn't nearly enough Londoncentricism anymore, particularly as the BBC is very Manchestercentric. The more London figures on bank notes the better! I suggest Fred Housego, Ken Livingstone, Alfred Marks, Barbara Windsor and Torquay born but Hampstead and Soho based Peter Cook as ideal candidates.

Arlu | 24.06.21 - 10:15 a.m. | #

Larkin would be wonderfully controversial.

Robert Butlin | 24.06.21 - 11:59 a.m. | #











TridentScan v2.10.0 | Privacy Policy