Australian Heather Day, a descendent of Sir Isaac Pitman, is spending a few weeks in Trowbridge, the town of his birth, to find out more about her illustrious ancestor.

The 60-year-old mother-of-two, from Adelaide, was born with the surname Pitman and can trace her lineage back to Benjamin Pitman, Isaac’s brother, who emigrated to Australia in the 19th century.

She said: “I have done a lot of walking in the beautiful countryside and the people are very friendly.”

Sir Isaac Pitman was born in Trowbridge in 1813 and is famous for inventing a system of shorthand writing.