350th Cheque Anniversary
16th February 2009 was the 350th anniversary of one of the earliest handwritten cheques known to be in existence in the UK. To mark this milestone we featured this special section, which looks at the history of the cheque and the cheque clearing and examines the role of the cheque in British culture and heritage. The Great British Cheque Report shows how its influence has changed over the years: just 50 years ago it was the only alternative to cash, but since 1990 its use as a payment method of choice has been in decline as consumers and businesses look to use more modern, more convenient and much quicker methods of payment.