A SOUTH Lakeland woman is in shock after discovering she is the great, great granddaughter of a world-famous Lancashire inventor.

Sue O’Grady of Kendal never dreamt her distant ancestor William Sturgeon was the same William Sturgeon who built the world’s first electromagnet in 1825.

However, a chance visit to the Science Museum in London saw her encounter an exhibit dedicated to his work.

“It was amazing,” she said. “We couldn’t believe it because the work he did was so important.”

Sturgeon, who was born in Whittington in May 1783, shook the world of science with his electromagnet, which led to the invention of the telegraph, electric motor and numerous devices relied upon today.

He also founded the Electrical Society of London and received a medal from the Royal Society for his achievements.

Since unearthing her scientific roots, Mrs O’Grady has enlisted the help of Whittington Heritage Society in her quest to discover more about the great inventor.

Happy to be of service, WHS arranged a tour of the village, including a visit to Croft Cottage, Sturgeon’s birthplace.

“It is all coming together and I have been able to piece together his life,” said Mrs O’Grady, who runs a bed and breakfast in Kendal with her husband Chris. “We are lucky to have had the help of local people who have already done a lot of research.”

The tour also included a visit to the Dragon’s Head Hotel on Main Street to see a working model of Sturgeon’s electromagnet, which was created for WHS by Heysham Power Station.

Gerald Hodgson, chairman of WHS, said he had been delighted to hear from Mrs O’Grady, adding: “It was incredible because I understood that Sturgeon had no family. He was married twice and had four children but they all died in infancy. However, it seems he adopted one of his nieces and Mrs O’Grady is a direct descendent of that niece.”

To find out more about Sturgeon visit www.whittingtonvillage.fsnet.co.uk.