The 200th anniversary of Sir Isaac Pitman’s birth is being celebrated at Trowbridge Museum on Friday.

Sir Isaac, originally from the town, created the Pitman Shorthand system and was born on January 4, 1813.

After clerking in a textile mill, he entered a training college for teachers in 1831 and taught in primary schools for 11 years before opening his own private school in Bath.

In 1837, Sir Isaac developed his shorthand system based on phonetic sounds and for many decades it was the most popular form of shorthand in the United Kingdom.

Duncan Turner, assistant at Trowbridge Museum, based in The Shires, said: “We have a display dedicated to Sir Isaac which includes a number of textbooks, a bust of him and a brief biography.

“I think it does come as quite a surprise to people that Sir Isaac Pitman has anything to do with Trowbridge and our visitors seem to really enjoy learning something new about him.”

The museum will be open between 10am and 4pm tomorrow and signs will be put in The Shires to celebrate the milestone.

In 1894, Sir Isaac received his knighthood and he died on January 12, 1897, aged 84.

During his time living in Royal Crescent, Bath, he helped form the city’s New Church congregation, serving as president of the society from 1887 until his death.

In Trowbridge, there is also a pub named after Sir Isaac, in Market Street. For more information about Trowbridge Museum visit www.trowbridgemuseum.co.uk or call 01225 751339.