The Clydesdale Bank £50 note was a sterling

banknote A banknote—also called a bill (North American English), paper money, or simply a note—is a type of negotiable promissory note, made by a bank or other licensed authority, payable to the bearer on demand. Banknotes were originally issued ...

. Until its withdrawal it was the second largest denomination of banknote issued by the

Clydesdale Bank Clydesdale Bank ( gd, Banca Dhail Chluaidh) is a trading name used by Clydesdale Bank plc for its retail banking operations in Scotland. In June 2018, it was announced that Clydesdale Bank's holding company CYBG would acquire Virgin Money for ...

. The last cotton note, first issued in 2009 bears a portrait of

Elsie Inglis Eliza Maud "Elsie" Inglis (16 August 1864 – 26 November 1917) was a Scottish doctor, surgeon, teacher, Women's suffrage, suffragist, and founder of the Scottish Women's Hospitals for Foreign Service, Scottish Women's Hospitals. She was the ...

, founder of the

Scottish Women's Hospitals The Scottish Women's Hospitals for Foreign Services (SWH) was founded in 1914. It was led by Dr. Elsie Inglis and provided nurses, doctors, ambulance drivers, cooks and orderlies. By the end of World War I, 14 medical units had been outfitted and ...

, on the obverse and an image of the Antonine Wall on the reverse.

History

The

began issuing banknotes (although not in £50 denominations) in 1838, the same year as the bank's founding. Early banknotes were monochrome, and printed on one side only. The issuing of banknotes by Scottish banks was regulated by the Banknote (Scotland) Act 1845 until it was superseded by the Banking Act 2009. Though strictly not

legal tender Legal tender is a form of money that courts of law are required to recognize as satisfactory payment for any monetary debt. Each jurisdiction determines what is legal tender, but essentially it is anything which when offered ("tendered") in ...

in Scotland, Scottish banknotes are nevertheless legal currency and are generally accepted throughout the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. Scottish banknotes are fully backed such that holders have the same level of protection as those holding genuine Bank of England notes. The £50 note was the second largest denomination of banknote issued by the Clydesdale Bank. The Famous Scots issue of the £50 note featuring economist Adam Smith was introduced in 1981. On the reverse of this note are several images representing engineering and agricultural machinery in the eighteenth century. The current World Heritage series £50 note was introduced in 2009. This note features a portrait of

on the front, and an image of the Antonine Wall on the back. The Clydesdale Bank £50 note was withdrawn from circulation on 30 September 2022. At present no successor polymer note has been issued.

Designs

Information taken from The Committee of Scottish Bankers website.

References

External links

The Committee of Scottish Bankers website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clydesdale Bank 50 note Banknotes of Scotland Fifty-base-unit banknotes Clydesdale Bank