Don’t bank on it

I AM glad that Gareth David (Letters, 7 March) appreciates our Scottish banknotes. However, he is incorrect in saying that they are legal tender.

By The Newsroom

Published 10th Mar 2014, 00:00 BST

They are not legal tender in England, or even in Scotland, and never have been (except briefly during both world wars). They have the legal status of promissory notes or IOUs, as a glance at any note will show. The 1845 Banknotes (Scotland) Act applies. Interestingly, by some quirk, Bank of England notes are not legal tender in Scotland, except the £1 note, which no longer exists.

COLIN McALLISTER

South Street

St Andrews, Fife