A MUCH-LOVED former headmaster was found dead sitting in his chair at home, an inquest has heard

Alwyn Morton, who was 97 and a great-grandfather, was discovered on February 9 this year by John Owens, his neighbour and friend on Green Lane, Middlesbrough, who had a key to Mr Morton's home and noticed he hadn't opened the curtains.

Acting assistant coroner, Joanne Wharton, heard that Mr Morton had had a fall causing him injuries and a post-mortem examination revealed he had severe heart disease and other problems related to the heart.

It has emerged that Mr Morton, a widower, enjoyed a 32-year career in education in Middlesbrough and ended up at headmaster of St Hilda's School where he would take children away for a week's holiday to Carlton-in-Cleveland. He began teaching in 1947 at Ayresome Junior School and also worked at Thorntree County Primary, Green Lane, Beechwood and Whinney Banks schools.

In a statement read out at the inquest at Teesside Magistrates Court, Mr Morton's daughter, Elizabeth Adcock, described an upbeat, active, relatively healthy man, still proudly living independently in his own home at 97.

"Just the day before we had a telephone conversation and my husband said, what a man, he's on top of the world."

The coroner concluded that Mr Morton died of natural causes contributed to by multiple injuries resulting from a fall.