A REPLICA of the ship that carried Charles Darwin around the world and led him to develop his theory of natural selection is to be built at Morwellham Quay. A team of enthusiasts are currently on site with plans to build a replica of HMS Beagle, a 90ft ten-gun brig, and restore and rebuild three smaller boats. Visitors will be able to see the team working on the boats through the summer. When HMS Beagle was launched in 1820 it was one of the commonest class of warships being built by the navy, but it was later refitted as a hydrographic survey vessel. In 1831, Darwin set out to carry out a detailed survey of the southern tip of South America and the Galapagas Islands. His theory was published in ?The Origin of the Species?. This Easter will also see a new way of communicating historic events to Morwellham?s visitors. Museum director Anthony Power said the idea is to use ?first person interpretation? ? the experiences of real people who lived in the village in the mid-19th century, with a particular focus on the roles of women. ?If we look down the census records, we see that once a woman was married she was never given an occupation. ?But we have found out that two sisters, Mary Anne Brown and Celia Bath, ran a dressmaking business, and Jane Martin, the village shop-keeper, ended up owning shares in ships. ?Women were playing far more roles in business and the community than we might imagine.? l See voucher, page 15.