A Victorian mathematician with North East roots is among the front runners to feature on the new £50 note.
Ada Lovelace, Professors Stephen Hawking and Dorothy Hodgkin, the only British female to win a Nobel prize for science, are among the other favourites as nominations were opened to the public on Friday.
Ada was born in 1815 to Anne Isabella Milbanke of Elemore Hall, Pittington, Durham, and the legendary romantic poet Lord Byron.
In later life she was best known for her work on Charles Babbage’s proposed mechanical general-purpose computer, the Analytical Engine.
Ada was the first to recognise that the machine had applications beyond pure calculation, and published the first algorithm intended to be carried out by such a machine.
As a result, she is sometimes regarded as the first to recognise the full potential of a “computing machine” and the first computer programmer. There is an Ada Lovelace Day held each year on October 9 in her honour.
For weeks there has been unofficial campaigning as to who should appear on the new £50 notes, with names including England defender Harry Maguire riding on an inflatable unicorn to Margaret Thatcher.
However Bank of England governor Mark Carney said the person to be chosen should be no longer living and from science fields such as medical research, biology and astronomy.
Making the announcement at the Science Museum in London, Mr Carney said: “So, I’m afraid, no Time Lords from whatever gender are eligible.”
The public has six weeks to register their nominations on the Bank’s website, with Mr Carney making the selection to be announced next year.
He said he remained “open-minded” about what his choice will be, and celebrated the successes of British scientists from the steam engine to the telegraph for powering industrial revolutions.
“In medicine and biology, the discoveries of penicillin, X-rays and the double helix by British scientists afforded people healthier and longer lives,” he said.
The roll-out date of the note to replace the current one featuring industrial revolution pioneers Matthew Boulton and James Watt is yet to be revealed.
It will be the last of note to be upgraded from paper to a plastic polymer.
The current paper £20 will be replaced with a polymer version from 2020. It will feature artist JMW Turner.
