thumbnail

Historical figures on British banknotes

Since the 1970s, British historical figures have featured on the back of banknotes issued by the Bank of England. Excluding the incumbent monarchs (who feature on the front of the banknote) there have been a total of 19* individuals to feature on these banknotes.
Excluding monarchs on the front of banknotes.
*The 2011-2021 £50 note featured two individuals
Quiz by
HartsYouWin
Rate:
Last updated: April 8, 2026
You have not attempted this quiz yet.
First submittedApril 8, 2026
Times taken8
Average score52.6%
Report this quizReport
5:00
Enter answer here
0
 / 19 guessed
The quiz is paused. You have remaining.
Scoring
You scored / = %
This beats or equals % of test takers also scored 100%
The average score is
Your high score is
Your fastest time is
Keep scrolling down for answers and more stats ...
£1
1978-1988
Isaac Newton
Physics
 
 
 
£5
1971-1991
Duke of Wellington (Arthur Wellesley)
Prime Minister
1990-2003
George Stephenson
Engineering
2002-2017
Elizabeth Fry
Prison reform
2016-
Winston Churchill
Prime Minister
 
 
 
£10
1975-1994
Florence Nightingale
Healthcare
1992-2003
Charles Dickens
Novelist
2000-2018
Charles Darwin
Biology/Geology
2017-
Jane Austen
Novelist
 
 
 
£20
1970-1993
William Shakespeare
Playwright
1991-2001
Michael Faraday
Chemistry/Physics
1999-2010
Edward Elgar
Composer
2007-2021
Adam Smith
Economics/Philosophy
2020-
JMW Turner
Painting
 
 
 
£50
1981-1996
Christopher Wren
Architecture
1994-2012
John Houblon
Bank governor
2011-2022
Matthew Boulton
Engineering
James Watt
2021-
Alan Turing
Mathematics/Computing
Save Your Stats
Your Next Quiz
Guess every major city in the world by guessing any city within 1,000 kilometers. With a map!
Drag the flag onto the correct state. Careful, though! One wrong move and the game ends.
Drag the flag onto the correct country. Careful, though! One wrong move and the game ends.
Drag the pin onto the correct country. Careful, though! Three wrong moves and the game ends.
1 Comments
+1
Level 91
Apr 8, 2026
surely the first fiver guy was better known for his military prowess rather than his political office? The note itself showed him in field marshall uniform and portrays Salamanca.