Jane Austen, the 19th century author of classics including "Pride and Prejudice" and "Emma" will be the face of the new U.K. £10 banknote, the Bank of England governor announced today.
Mark Carney has come under increasing pressure from equality campaigners to replace the current face of the notes - Charles Darwin - with a woman. It follows the decision by his predecessor, Sir Mervyn King, to have prison reformer Elizabeth Fry replaced by former wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill on the £5 note.
Confirming that the face of Austen would grace £10 notes from 2017 onwards, Carney said in a statement: "Jane Austen certainly merits a place in the select group of historical figures to appear on our banknotes. Her novels have an enduring and universal appeal and she is recognised as one of the greatest writers in English literature."
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Austen and Churchill (who will appear on £5 notes from 2016), join Adam Smith (£20 notes) and Matthew Boulton and James Watt (£50) as the faces of Britain's banknotes.
Austen will be only the third woman to feature on a U.K. banknote (with the exception of the Queen), following Fry, who has been on the £5 note from 2001, and Florence Nightingale, who was pictured on £10 banknotes from 1975 until 1994.
The new note will feature a number of noticeable designs including an image of Godmersham Park, the home of Austen's brother which is believed to have inspired a number of her novels; a background design depiction of Austin's 12-sided writing table; and a quote from "Pride and Prejudice:" "I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading!"
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