Northumberland town's famous faces and events celebrated with new information boards

New information boards in Morpeth have been dedicated to former Suffragettes and Navy Admirals

A series of famous faces and events from Morpeth's past are being celebrated with new information boards placed around the town.

Five boards have been placed in Northumberland's county town, three of which have been sited in and around St Mary's Churchyard. The first commemorates Suffragette Emily Wilding Davison, who died after being struck by the King's horse during the 1913 Epsom Derby.

Emily had relatives living in and around Morpeth including her mother, and was a frequent visitor to the town when regaining her health after jailed time for her perceived part in Suffragette protests. After she died her body was returned to Morpeth and she was buried in the churchyard.

A second board features others buried there, including James Crawhall, one of the so-called 'Glasgow Boys' group of painters; Robert Winham, who cultivated a rare red variety of gooseberry on his Morpeth allotment; John Rastrick, who was born in Morpeth and invented a threshing machine; and local jockeys Ralph Bullock and his nephew Billy who won the Epsom Derby in 1861 and 1908 respectively.

There is also a board that features the corner of the Morpeth churchyard dedicated to service personnel who lost their lives in both world wars, including some who were killed during training at the RAF Morpeth. Gunnery School between 1942 and 1944.

A fourth that marks the life and times of one of Britain's greatest seafarers will be unveiled next month to mark the anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar. Newcastle-born Admiral Lord Cuthbert Collingwood lived at Oldgate in Morpeth from 1791 when he was not at sea, and took command of the English fleet at Trafalgar after the death of his friend Horatio Nelson.

After Trafalgar, Admiral Collingwood was promoted to Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet before his death in 1810. The fifth and final board, which is currently being prepared, will tell the story of William Turner, born in Morpeth in 1508, who went on to be regarded as the "Father of English botany."

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The Greater Morpeth Development Trust originally commissioned a series of display boards to help residents and visitors better understand the town's history, notable people with a connection to the town, and what to look out for on walks around local woodlands and riverside paths. However, a recent survey had revealed some of the boards needed repairing or refreshing.

Dai Richards, of the Greater Morpeth Development Trust, said: "However, we decided we wanted to go a little further than that by improving or expanding on the information boards, so residents and visitors could learn a little more about Morpeth and some of its notable citizens."

The trust has worked with students from King Edward VI School, with students Chloe Coward, Mary Alexandru, Dylan Sneddon, Tom Clarke. Earlene Sequeira, Amy Wardle and Catalina Chaundler-Martinez carrying out much of the research for information.

Teacher Sheila Clark said the project had given the students an insight into some lesser-known events and stories about Morpeth's characters from the past. She said: "Together with our students, they have all helped to bring the town’s history alive in a new way."

The Admiral Lord Collingwood Board will be unveiled on Monday, October 21, also known as Trafalgar Day.