370) GeorgeStephenson (Engineer): Also known as the “Father of the Railways”: A Five PoundU.K. Banknote issued by the Bank of England in 1990 (since withdrawn from circulationon 21.11.2003):
The Front of the 5 Pounds Banknote (since withdrawn from circulation)
On the Front of this 5Pound Banknote is seen a portrait of Queen Elizabeth IIat right with her title “EIIR” (meaning “Elizabeth II Regina”).
There is a seated Britannia withlaurel sprigs on either side, as the logo of Bank of England at left. Thedenomination in numerals is in the top left hand corner “5”. In the centreleft, the denomination “FIVE Pounds” is mentioned in words.
Below the Britannia imageis mentioned “London – For the Gov:r and Comp.a of the Bank of England” (in acalligraphic font). At the left bottom is also mentioned “THE GOVERNOR ANDCOMPANY OF THE BANK OF ENGLAND 1990”.
In the three rudimentary Nautilus designsjust below the Chief Cashier’s signature is mentioned the denominational valueof the Banknote in numerals“5”, two times.
The Back of the above Five Pounds Banknote
On the Back of this 5Pound Banknote is seen a portrait of George Stephenson(1781-1848) who was an Engineer. On the left side in the foreground areStephenson’s Rocket Locomotive (1829) spouting smoke and SkerneBridge on Stockton Darlington Railway (1825). The denomination innumerals is in the top left hand corner “5”. In the centre left, thedenomination “FIVE Pounds” is mentioned in words.
There is a stylised representation of a wheelhub below the name England of the Bank of England. Emanating from thehub are stylised “spokes” of a wheel which are also crossing through thewatermark.
The dimensions/size of this Banknote are - Length: 134 mm x Width 70 mm.
The colour of the Banknote is: Front: dark brown, deep blue-green and multi-coloured; Back: deep blue-green, violet and multi-coloured.
This 5 Pound Banknote on GeorgeStephenson was issued by the Bank of England on 07.06.1990 and has been withdrawnfrom circulation on 21.11.2003.
The Series of issue of this Banknote:
This Banknote was issued by the Bank ofEngland under its “Series E”, which included George Stephenson (5 Pound Banknote), CharlesDickens (10 Pound Banknote), Michael Faraday (20 pound Banknote) and JohnHoublon (50 Pound Banknote), all ofwhich stand withdrawn from circulation now.
Presently circulating Bank of England Banknotes:
Presently two denominations under “SeriesE (Revision)” – Elizabeth Fry reading to prisoners in Newgateprison (5 Pound Banknote) and Charles Darwin, a hummingbird and HMSBeagle (10 Pound Banknote) and
Two denominations under “Series F” – AdamSmith with an illustration of the “division of labour in pin manufacturing”(20 Pounds Banknote) and Matthew Boulton & James Watt with steamengine and Boulton’s Soho factory (50 Pounds Banknote)
are in circulation, issued by the Bank of England.
Polymer Banknotes – future plans:
Bank of England is now inthe process of issuing polymer Banknotes, with a new 5 pound polymer Banknotescheduled to be released on 13th September 2016, (with WinstonChurchill on the Back), a 10 Pound polymer Banknote in 2017 (with Jane Austenon the Back) and a 20 Pound polymer Banknote by 2020 (with JMW Turner on theBack).
There are currently noplans to replace the 50 Pound Banknote, featuring Boulton and Watt on the Back.
All Bank of EnglandBanknotes are printed by the Banknote printing major – De La Rue – at theirprinting facility at Debden, Essex, England.
About George Stephenson (09.06.1781- 12.08.1848):
George Stephenson was born on 09.06.1781at Wylam in Northumberland.
He was the son of illiterate working classparents. His father worked in the Wylam Colliery and George who grew up strongand sturdy, joined the colliery as a teenager, as the expanding coal industrywas providing ample jobs for everyone.
Thereafter, he worked at various othercollieries in the area in the early 1800s including the one at Killingworth,north of Newcastle.
He did jobs like driving horses that carrycoal carriages on the tramway, picking stones out of the coal and later workingon the machines that lift miners up and down into the mine. There is a tale that when one of theveteran miners objected to the teenage George doing the job of working themachines, there was a fist fight that was settled with George winning thefight.
He neverwent to school, but at the age of 18, he taught himself to read andwrite and do arithmetic after paying for his own night school education.
He developed such skill with engines that in1812, he was appointed “engine wright” (or “chief mechanic”) atKillingworth. During this time, hebegan to piece together and reassemble machines and engines wherever possibleand developed an intricate understanding of steam driven machinery.
In 1814, he built a locomotive called “Blucher”(in honour of the Prussian General who had allied with the British and wasinstrumental in charging at Napoleon’s army at a crucial point in the Battle ofWaterloo, when the English army under the command of the Duke of Wellington,was extremely hard-pressed, which led to the defeat of the French army).
The steam engine “Blucher” could haul uptoeight wagons loaded with 30 tons of coal at a speed of four miles per hour. This was the beginning of the end ofhorse-driven long distance transport.
He later improved the engine’s steam system togive it greater pulling power. This made “Blucher” the first fully effective steam railway locomotive. Stephenson’sestimate of the drawing power of his first steam locomotive was “about fiftyhorses”.
Stephenson went on to develop an improved type of railway track and built more locomotivesfor Killingworth and other collieries.
In 1819, Stephenson created an eightmile railway in Sunderland, the first railway to be solely machine-powered. Hepatented his own cast iron rails. When Stephenson found that another person hadbuilt better rails, he dropped his own invention and despite costs, built animproved version.
In 1821, he persuaded a businessman whowas planning a horse-drawn railway from Stockton-on-Tees to Darlington inDurham County to purchase a steam locomotive for the line.
In 1825, this engine called “Locomotion”,took 450 persons a distance of 25 miles from Darlington to Stockton at a speedof 15 miles per hour. Locomotion on the first trip out was driven by Stephensonhimself. This was the first trip of the world’s first public passenger steamtrain. Also, this was the first publicrailway in the world. The company set up with his son Robert was the firstCompany in the World to build locomotives.
The 4 feet 8 ½ inches rail guage built byStephenson for his trains is also sometimes known as the “Stephensonguage”, and is still the “Standard guage” by name and byconvention for most of the world’s railways.
By 1830, Stephenson’s new locomotive,called the “Rocket” could achieve speeds of 36 miles per hour andwas operating on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway in Lancashire along withother “iron horses” (as these engines were called) which were built in thefactory that Stephenson had now opened in New Castle. The inauguration of“Rocket’s” first trip was attended by the British Prime Minister, the Duke ofWellington (of the Battle of Waterloo Fame).
Interestingly, as Stephenson’s work grew leapsand bounds, excavations for building railway track across England helpeddiscover coalfields that made him even rich enough to buy large lands and aspacious house.
Stephenson became the first President of theInstitution of Mechanical Engineers.
He passed away on 12.08.1848 (i.e.exactly, 110 years before I was born on 12.08.1958).
He had several memorials and educationalinstitutions named after him.
George Stephenson wascalled the “Father of the Railways” and England during his lifetime andafterwards, considered him to be a shining example of “diligent application andthirst for improvement”.
In 2002, Stephenson was named in theBBC’s list of 100 Greatest Britons, following a UK wide vote, wherein he wasplaced at number 65.
The Railway Age:
The Railway Age powered by steam locomotiveshad now begun and George Stephenson was its guiding force. The inventions heleft behind accelerated the industrial revolution which helped build the modernworld, by facilitating the transport of raw materials and manufactured goods.
(This Banknote is from thecollection of Jayant Biswas. Banknote scanned & uploaded and postresearched & written by Rajeev Prasad)
Links:
Bank of England Banknotes:1) A Ten Pounds Banknote issued on Charles Dickens (Writer) also depicting a cricket match from his novel "The Pickwick Papers"
Inspirations from Scottish History (Clydesdale Bank Banknotes):
1) The Legend of King Bruce & the Spider on Banknotes
Banknotes from Bank of Scotland:
1) Commemorating Sir William Arrol and his creation the Forth Rail Bridge by issues of Britain's first ever 5 Pound Polymer Banknote
British Crown Dependencies:
1) Specimen Banknotes from the States of Jersey
2) Coinage and Currency from the States of Jersey
3) Currency & Coinage of the Bailiwick of Guernsey
4) Currency & Coinage of Gibraltar : An Overseas Territory of Great Britain
5) Coinage of Gibraltar: (A British Overseas Territory): An Uncirculated Decimal Coin Collection Set minted by the Tower Mint, UK in 2010
6) The Isle of Man: An Uncirculated Decimal Coin Collection Set minted by Pobjoy Mint, UK in 2015
9) Coins & Currency of Bermuda
10) The Bailiwick of Jersey - Presently circulating coinage - Pounds and Pence
11) St. Helena & Ascension Islands: An Uncirculated Coin Set from 2003
British India Coinage:
2) Victoria Coinage: When she was Queen and afterwards Empress
3) Edward VII: King & Emperor Coinage
4) George V King Emperor Coinage
5) George VI: The last of the British India Emperors Coinage
Other British Royalty:
4) Prince George's Christening Ceremony celebrated with coins issued by the Royal Mint UK in 2013
5) The British Empire: A Case of Numismatic "segregation": (Guest Post by Rahul Kumar)
British Coinage:
3) Transformation of the Two Shilling Coin (Florin) Coin into the UK Ten Pence
Commemorative British Coinage:
3) Coins commemorating London Olympics & Paralympics (2012)
6) 800th Anniversary of the Magna Carta - the Universal Guidepost to Liberty and Freedom
