Mary Somerville, who has an Oxford college named after her, is set to become the first woman other than the Queen to appear on an RBS banknote.

Somerville College has been celebrating the news that the scientist has beaten physicist James Clerk Maxwell and civil engineer Thomas Telford in a public vote.

The founders of Somerville College, one of the first two to open for woman, chose the scientist to name the college in honour of. 

Mary Somerville, born in 1780, was an influential Scottish scientist in a time it was discouraged from women to get into the field. 

Royal Bank of Scotland held the public vote and it was initially won by Telford but an investigation took place after the vote appeared to have been rigged.

Somerville was eventually announced as the winner yesterday. 

The new notes are expected to be released in the second half of 2017.