A Monmouthshire village is set to get its first ever 'blue plaque' thanks to the local history society which has uncovered a link between the village and a noted Victorian astronomer. The plaque will be unveiled in Shirenewton in memory of Edward Joseph Lowe, a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, who lived at Shirenewton Hall in the village between 1880 and 1900 while carrying out some of his most important work. His work included observing phenomena like shooting stars and the Northern Lights. He also measured and reported the biggest snowflake ever seen in the British Isles at 3.5 inches in diameter – his findings were published in The Times. Edward Lowe was also a founder member of the British (later Royal) Meteorological Society and was a member of a party of scientists led by the Astronomer Royal of the day who sailed to Northern Spain to witness a Total Eclipse of the Sun. The plaque is set to be unveiled by the chairman of the Society for the History of Astronomy, Madeline Cox, next Tuesday (15th July) at Shirenewton Hall. The chairman of Shirenewton Local History Society, Dr Ivor Cavill, said: "The plaque will be unveiled by Madeline Cox, founding member and chairman of the Society for the History of Astronomy, who has had a long interest in the work of Lowe and who has published the definitive work on him. "The Society hopes this will encourage interest in the man and his work and will be a source of local pride."