THREE legends of Worcester, including the best-selling romantic novelist Dame Barbara Cartland and the composer Sir Edward Elgar, will inspire the next generation of rowers at RGS Worcester after boats were named in their honour.

Sir Edward Elgar, Dame Barbara Cartland and Hannah Snell are three of the names to be found on the newest boats in the RGS Worcester fleet.

In a boat naming ceremony attended by over 100 rowers and families, six new boats were officially named and then launched for their row past.

Most of the boat names have links to the school.

Sir Edward Elgar was music master at the Alice Ottley School (which merged with RGS in 2007), while Dame Barbara Cartland, the best-selling romantic novelist and step-grandmother of Princess Diana, was an AO pupil.

Hannah Snell, was born in Worcester in 1723.

She joined the army disguised as a man, fighting in several battles before revealing herself to be a woman.

She was given a full army pension and then opened a pub in London named The Female Warrior. Headmaster John Pitt said he looked forward to seeing the boat ‘do battle’ in the future.

Other boats named at the ceremony were Andrew Rattue, former headmaster of RGS Worcester.

He returned to perform the naming ceremony on the coxed four named in his honour at the River Severn on Saturday, June 30.

Two other fours were also named Butler of Wantage, after the co-founder of the Alice Ottley, and Michelle Whitefoot, named in honour of the Whitefoot family, great supporters of the school and the boat club.

Jane Sullivan, head of rowing, said: “We had a fantastic turn-out for the launch of our new boats which I hope will inspire our rowers.

"In rowing we have a phrase that you should ‘hear the boat sing’ so naming our new single after Sir Edward Elgar is entirely fitting!”