Central Banks

Jane Austen features on new British 10-pound note

Key Points
  • Bank of England governor Mark Carney unveiled a new 10-pound note featuring British author Jane Austen on Tuesday
  • The note is printed on polymer, just like the recently re-launched 5-pound note, which features wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill
Bank of England

The Bank of England's governor has unveiled a new 10-pound note featuring Jane Austen at one of England's grandest cathedrals, 200 years to the day since one of Britain's most-loved novelists was laid to rest there.

Speaking at Winchester Cathedral in southern England on Tuesday, Mark Carney said banknotes "serve as repositories of the country's collective memory, promoting awareness of the United Kingdom's glorious history and highlighting the contributions of its greatest citizens."

The new 10-pound note, which is due to go into circulation on Sept. 14, is the bank's latest effort to make its notes more secure. It's printed on polymer, just like the recently re-launched 5-pound note, which features Winston Churchill.

Austen, who died aged 41, is the author of "Sense and Sensibility" and "Pride and Prejudice."