Bank of England note issues Bank of England note issues 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
Northern Bank £5 note Northern Bank £5 note The Northern Bank £5 note was a banknote issued by Northern Bank for circulation in Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. It was the smallest denomination note issued by the bank and was not legal tender outside Northern Ireland. Following the takeover of Northern Bank by Danske Bank in 2004, production of the note ended and it was slowly removed from circulation. In October 1999 a special polymer version featuring an illustration of the Space Shuttle was issued in celebration of the millennium. It was the first polymer banknote used in the United Kingdom. After the Northern Bank