Plaque to Ada Lovelace
A FAMOUS historical figure from Kirkby Mallory is to be honoured with a commemorative plaque.
Ada Lovelace was a gifted mathematician who became the world’s first computer programmer, and she was raised at Kirkby Hall.
Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council is holding an event in the Byron Suite at Mallory Park Racing Circuit, where there will be a talk about Ada’s life and then the plaque will be unveiled.
This will be followed by a visit to her memorial in the grounds of All Saints Church in Kirkby Mallory.
Maureen Cook, executive member for culture at the borough council, said: “I am really pleased to see such a remarkable lady honoured in this way.
“Her achievements and dedication need to be recorded and the blue plaque is a fitting tribute.”
She was the daughter of poet Lord Byron and Lady Anne Isabella Milbanke Byron, and worked with Charles Babbage on his Analytical Machine, which she developed to have applications beyond pure calculation.
Ada was born in December 1815, the only legitimate child of Lord Byron, although he separated from her mother and left the country the following year.
It was through her tutor May Sommerville that she met Charles Babbage in 1833, who showed her his prototype Difference Machine.
As someone with a keen interest in the sciences, she became fascinated with the machine and regularly came to see it, impressing Babbage with her intellegence.
Later she compiled detailed notes to explain Babbage’s proposed Analytical Engine, proposing a calculation method considered to be the world’s first computer programme.
The event at Mallory Park Racing Circuit is happening on Ada Lovelace Day, October 10, at 11am.
The plaque will be unveilied at 12.30pm.
Lovelace already has a blue plaque in St James’s Square in London.
For more information, or if you wish to attend the event, contact lindsay. orton@hinckley-bosworth.gov.uk.