TRIBUTES have been paid to a devout Catholic solicitor and school governor who was found dead at his home.

Charles Shirtcliffe, duty solicitor at Northallerton police station and senior partner of Shirtcliffe Law, which has offices in Finkle Street, Thirsk, North Yorkshire, had been due to present a court case.

When he did not appear at South Durham Magistrates’ Court, the alarm was raised and police broke into Mr Shirtcliffe’s cottage in Kilburn, near Thirsk, and found his body behind the front door.

A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death and friends say he had appeared fine in the days before.

An inquest into the death of Mr Shirtcliffe, 60, who was a bachelor, has been opened and adjourned at County Hall, Northallerton.

Colleagues said they had been overwhelmed by the volume of messages of condolence.

A spokeswoman for Shirtcliffe Law said: “Charles was a man of high intelligence, but managed to combine this with a high degree of compassion and care, particularly in relation to his clients and his staff.

“His sharp legal skills have helped countless clients in his legal career, but in his daily life he also managed to retain an extraordinary sense of humour.”

Thirsk Mayor Councillor Cynthia Hesmondhaigh said the Cambridge graduate, who regularly attended mass at Stanbrook Abbey, Wass, and Ampleforth Abbey, had been a big asset to the town.

Mr Shirtcliffe, who had lived in the area since the Seventies, had been involved in projects to boost its economy.

Friend and neighbour Jane De Cogan said Mr Shirtcliffe had played an enthusiastic part in village life, helping to run the annual Kilburn Feast, and had spoken of plans to retire to Italy.

He had been an active governor at Ampleforth St Martin’s Catholic prep school, in Ampleforth, said Nicholas Higham, its headteacher.

He said: “It is quite rare to get governors coming into school these days, but he made a great contribution to the life of the school, primarily through engaging with and supporting the children.”

Mr Shirtcliffe was also a member of the York Guild of Scriveners.

A funeral mass will be held for Mr Shirtcliffe next Friday at noon at St Mary’s and St Benedict’s Church, Ampleforth, where the prep school’s choir will perform music to honour his life.