TRIBUTES have been paid to a leading York historian who has died, aged 80.

Hugh Murray, who leaves a widow Jill, had become the doyen of York historians with a reputation for having a seemingly inexhaustible fund of knowledge.

The Press reported last year how he had amassed a private library of several thousand books and tens of thousands of photographs dedicated to the city’s history.

Mr Murray worked for British Rail for many years, working as assistant signal engineer for the entire Eastern region before retiring in 1988 and beginning a whole new life as a historian.

He began collecting books and old photographs, lecturing on different aspects of York’s history and writing about 20 books. His first, published in 1980, was a history of the horse tramways of York.

Peter Brown, director of York Civic Trust, said yesterday he had known Mr Murray for 30 years and had had a huge respect for his knowledge. “He had the most extraordinary filing system,” he said.

“You could ask him any question about York and he would come back in two minutes with all the facts and references. He was so generous with his knowledge – he would genuinely want to help you.”

Dr Peter Addyman, former director of York Archaeological Trust and now chairman of the civic trust, said: “He was an absolutely splendid person, who was a tremendous source of information for us at the trust.

He made himself an expert on a whole series of aspects of York’s history.

“He was a tremendous supporter of YAYA (Yorkshire Architectural and York Archaeological Society).”

Sir Ron Cooke, former vice chancellor of the University of York and chairman of Reinvigorate York, said Mr Murray had been an “extraordinary man,” who had taken up the history of York with dedicated scholarship.

• Mr Murray’s funeral takes place at York Cemetery Chapel at 11.30 am on Friday, June 21, followed by a reception at the chapel.