Jersey’s banknotes have an extensive history and are tied to Jersey history of over 1,000 years. At one point in time, Jersey was part of the Dutch of Normandy, strangely, this never happened due to their dukes going on to become kings of England in 1066. After Normandy lost their dukes, Jersey and several other small territories in the Channel Islands remained connected to the English Crown. Jersey quickly became divided into 12 parishes, or districts, all bordering the ocean.
Jersey’s Government
Jersey is a self-governing parliament democracy under a constitutional monarchy, meaning they have their own financial, legal and judicial systems. Because of this, Jersey is not part of the United Kingdom and has a separate identity. However, the UK is constitutionally responsible for the defense of Jersey which was established in 1981 under the British Nationality Act. In order to stay connected to the Crown, a Lieutenant Governor is placed in Jersey’s Parliament to represent the monarchy and to stay in correspondence with the Queen. Regarding currency, Jersey uses sterling banknotes that are denominated into pounds sterling. Their history with the monarchy is transparent through their banknotes, which have the Queen on the obverse and a landmark or distinctive territory on the reverse. Although they are one of the Crown dependencies and diplomatic representation is reserved to the Crown, Jersey has been developing its own international identity over the recent years. Jersey negotiates directly with foreign governments independently on several matters within the guidelines of the Government of Jersey.
The Banknotes of Jersey
The current Jersey pound was established in 1834 to replace the Jersey livre which consisted of only French coins. It trades at par with British pounds and is part of the countries of the pound sterling. The first bank to open in Jersey was the Jersey Old Bank in 1797 and a total of five issues for banknotes were created.
Jersey During World War II
At the breakout of World War II, due to a shortage of metal coins ceased to be produced and banknotes took their place in 1941. This particular style was designed by Edmund Blampied and it incorporates WWII resistance propaganda.
Queen Elizabeth II on Jersey Banknotes
Queen Elizabeth II started appearing on Jersey’s banknotes in 1963 and featured Pietro Annigoni’s famous oil painting “The Queen Regent” from 1955.
In 1976 a new image of the Queen was used on Jersey’s banknotes and featured a portrait from Anthony Buckley. On the reverse of this banknote series are more revolutionary images with this one pound note featuring the Battle of Jersey from 1781.
Starting in 1989, the banknotes changed to include a portrait of the Queen from 1978. The banknotes are unique in that they use an actual painting, by artist Norman Hepple, and only Jersey uses the painting. The painting today still hangs at the Jersey States Chamber.
The latest series of banknotes were issued in 2010 and feature a more mature Queen Elizabeth II. The portrait was taken at Sandringham Palace and displays Queen Elizabeth II with the Grand Duchess Vladimir of Russia’s Tiara containing fifteen pearls. These notes are trilingual and have a hologram of the Jersey Coat of Arms.
In this series to mark Queen Elizabeth’s Golden Jubilee, a commemorative note was created in 2012.
We hope you have a better understanding of Jersey’s Banknotes and how Queen Elizabeth II influenced the country and their design. Check out this article to learn more about Queen Elizabeth’s Reign Through Banknotes.