As far as I know, only the Royal Bank of Scotland makes one pound notes now. On the island I’m from, RBOS is the only bank on the island, so I see a lot of them when I go home. You’re not likely to see many unless you go to a rural place that only has RBOS.
Now that I’ve got used to not having them (being in London these days), it’s slightly disconcerting; I keep thinking it’s a fiver in my pocket.
Of course you could just postpone your trip until we join the Euro. They’re worth about a dollar at the moment, so you wouldn’t even have to calculate costs! 
Cecil Adams on In Britain, what’s the difference between a pound and a guinea? Nothing about quid though.
Not Isle of Man. Lancashire, where I spent most of my life. Calling them ‘silvers’ was a logical extension from calling 1p and 2p ‘coppers’. It is not quite an established term (not slang yet) but it is commonly used where I’ve been.
Partridge (A Dictionary of Historical Slang, Penguin, 1972) sort of agrees:
“A guinea: c.: 1688, Shadwell; [obsolete]by 1800. Perhaps [Latin] quid, what?, for ‘the wherewithal’: cf. QUIDS. Hence, 2, a sovereign, or the sum of twenty shillings: low: C.19-20. 3. A shilling, says Grosse, 3rd ed., but this I believe to be an error. … 5. See QUIDS. 6. The female pudend: low: C.19-20;ob.”
The reference to QUIDS is basically “Money, or rather cash, in gen.”
As for “bob”, he has:
“2. A shilling: Sessions, June 1789. Origin obsure: perhaps abbr. BOBSTICK; Weekley suggests ex ROBERT”
Bobstick is “A shilling’s worth … - but then what is the origin of bobstick?” and Robert is “2. A shilling; esp. in accept her Majesty’s Robert, to enlist in the Regular Army: military: ca 1860-1901.”
Ah well, sorry for weighing in without checking the facts. But from your cite, it appears I was right to assert that Scottish banknotes are not legal tender in Scotland (BTW I am Scottish myself). It does surprise me that BoE notes are not legal tender either, but that website doesn’t provide a citation for that.
jonnyb I realise I’ve just repeated what you said yourself, Stupid drunken posting.
it’s feckin annoying that i moved from N.I to scotland for the summer and had to change my BoI, Ulsterbank and AIB notes for BoE ones, only to arrive in scotalnd and be presented with ugly little scottish notes 9(he N.I notes are quite pretty compared to the blue and brown scottish ones).
when i visit london soon, i’ll have to change AGAIN, and the same when i go home, and then when i go back to dublin in i’ll have to change AGAIN.
bring on the euro!
All this confusion is enough to convert a eurosceptic.
For the record - the only government in the UK that issues currency is the UK government, via its central bank, which confusingly is called the Bank of England.
The other UK note issuers are banks (ie in NI and Scotland). These bits of paper are not “legal tender” , but nor are many other mediums of exchange (eg credit cards).
The banks must have BoE notes stashed away somewhere to the same value of the notes they issue.
BofE notes are not legal tender in Scotland/NI either. Under Scottish law, only BoE notes below GBP5 are recognized as legal tender, and the BoE GBP1 has now been phased out. Thus the only “legal tender” in Scotland is coins.
http://www.siliconglen.com/scotfaq/1_7.html
The link to the BoE there says…
*The concept of legal tender is often misunderstood. Contrary to popular opinion, legal tender is not a means of payment that must be accepted by the parties to a transaction, but rather a legally defined means of payment that should not be refused by a creditor in satisfaction of a debt.
The current series of Bank of England notes are legal tender in England and Wales, although not in Scotland or Northern Ireland, where the only currency carrying legal tender status for unlimited amounts is the one pound and two pound coins. *
So in Scotland you can legally refuse to accept paper notes - if you’re weird enough not to want to be paid by a debtor.
very occassionally when i visit carlisle (which is in england) i get given £1 notes as change. and if you get given a huge silver block of metal in your change, you are in luck because you have just recieved a £5 coin!!!
those things are rediculous!! 
OK, now that we’ve confused all the Americans. How about I summarize and give you the bottom line?
In Scotland you will find a number of different notes issued by four different banks. Regardless of the legal status of each, you will have no problem getting anyone to accept any one of them. Ditto for the coins.
The one possible exception is the Bank Of England 50 pound note. Some shops won’t accept it because it is the forger’s favourite note.
You may experience problems with the various Scottish notes in England. This is usually down to the ignorance of the retailer. They will be accepted by any bank, so you may want to exchange them if you want to avoid the hassle.
See, not so hard, is it?
Thanks for all the replies - I appreciate the help, as finding answers on the internet ate an entire afternoon and gave me the wealth of information that I wrote my OP with. Sorry I was absent from the whole conversation, I was away from my computer all weekend.
So, a few quick replies…
I’m not going to England, so I shouldn’t run into any shopkeepers who won’t accept Scottish notes. I requested Scottish currency from my bank, so I’m hoping that some attention to detail will be applied. I feel that having the local currency is better, anyway, since we’ll be using cash mostly to buy lunch. It’s also best to avoid any situation that causes a proprietor to shake his head and mutter “stupid tourist…” and knowing how to handle the local money is a good step to avoiding it. Maybe I’m just on a personal quest to minimize the “ugly American” tourist stereotype.
Dylan_73: Postpone my trip? Not on your life. This is a big event, and anyway the tickets are paid for and the reservations are made. Besides, Euros just don’t have the same charm.
Kal - thanks for the link. I’ll probably spend a lot of time studying there…
Everyone else, thanks again. You’ve been most helpful.
Lobsang,
Do you still have 50p notes in the Isle? I have a few in the house I kept for novelty value.
BTW, £1 notes from Scotland are great in England, as when you spend them you invariably get change of a fiver. Bonus.
but keep your eyes peeled or those £5 coins, they are beauts!!
but keep your eyes peeled for those £5 coins, they are beauts!!
Kilt-wearin’ man You don’t have to worry about using Bank of England notes in Scotland (even though they’re not legal tender, as I learned in this thread). We all use them alongside the Scottish banknotes, and don’t actually notice what they are in day to day transactions. No-one will be offended at the sight of a BoE note and mutter “stupid tourist.”
Umm…wasn’t a shilling 12p?
a shilling was 12d (12 old pence) or 5p (five new pence)
Full list:
farthing= 1/4 penny, withdrawn in early sixties
halfpenny (‘hay’p’ney’) withdrawn mid sixties (hence three hapence= 1 1/2 d)
penny = 1d (Latin for dennarius-confusingly originally meaning one of ten)
threepenny bit (thrupney as pronounced) most recently twelve sided and bronze but earlier round, saller than a dime and silver- used to get these in my Xmas puddings) Silver withdrawn in the thirties, bronze in the sixties
sixpenny bit/sixpence known as a tanner
shilling (12 pence) known as a bob. Became 5 pence piece
two shillings, two bob, florin (from equivalence with dutch florin in eighteenth century) Became 10 pence piece
half crown (eighth of a pond) known as half dollar from when US$4=£1. Withdrawn in sixties
crown (not recently in circulation but used for commemorative coins. Known as a dollar- see above
Ten bob note Withdrawn late sixties
Pound note- Quid or Nicker
Five Pound note Fiver.
Ten pound note Tenner
Other money slang (for amount, not for the note or coin):
Score= £20
Pony=£25
Ton=£100
Monkey=£500
Grand= £1000
Slight Hijack,
But I can remember the concept of Guineas being used by auctioneers up to quite recently ie they would sell something for 10 Guineas and the vendor would get 10 Pounds and the auctioneer would keep the 10 shillings (or 5pences) ie 5% commission.
This was used in Ireland well after decimalisation ie 1971.
LOL - it looks all settled now! I bet that is a relief! May I just reassure the OP that the “score”, “Pony” etc terms are not really needed in everyday conversation? I’ve only heard them from a friend who used to manage a betting shop, and sometimes as a sort of London criminal slang on the television.
Have a great trip - if you’re coming anywhere near Glasgow, I’ll shout at the sky to improve the weather for you! 