Austen to be new face of £10 note

Mark Carney, governor of the Bank of England, stands holding the concept design for the new Bank of England £10 banknote, featuring author Jane Austen, following the presentation at the Jane Austen House Museum in Chawton, near Alton, yesterday.

Reuters/London

British 19th century novelist Jane Austen will become the face of the new £10 note, the Bank of England said yesterday, defusing criticism that women are under-represented on the country’s currency.

The writer of classics such as Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility and Emma will replace naturalist Charles Darwin on the reverse of Britain’s most popular banknote.

Britain’s central bank sparked an outcry in April when it announced former prime minister Winston Churchill would replace social reformer Elizabeth Fry on the reverse side of the £5 note, depriving the currency of its only female historical figure.

Mark Carney, the first foreigner to head the bank in its 319-year history, praised Austen as “one of the greatest writers in English literature” and said the choice of future banknote characters would be reviewed to ensure a row of this sort did not erupt again.

“We believe that our notes should celebrate the full diversity of great British historical figures and their contributions in a wide range of fields,” he told a gathering at the Jane Austen House Museum in Chawton, the 17th century house where the author wrote some of her best-known novels.

“We want people to have confidence in our commitment to diversity. That is why I am announcing a review of the selection process for future banknote characters.”

The Austen notes are likely to come into circulation in 2017 and will feature a portrait adapted from an original sketch by Jane’s sister together with the quote ‘I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading!’ from Pride and Prejudice.

Carney, who headed the Bank of Canada before taking the helm of central bank on July 1, is keen to assert his reformist credentials in an antiquated institution where doormen still dress in top hats and pink tail-coats.