A FARMER who was described as “a brilliant neighbour and an inspiration” has died at the age of 90.

Alexander Morphet died where he was born in 1925, High Birkwith Farm above Horton-in-Ribblesdale and Selside, and where he and the Morphets have farmed for generations.

Alexander, known to most people as Alex, had three siblings but tragically his mother died when Alex was a toddler. Aunts, uncles, grandparents and housekeepers all rallied round to help.

From 1930, Alex was educated at Selside School. He would play in the beck until the 8.40am mail train hooted at Selside, giving him time to get to school. When older Alex fed and cleaned out the cows during his walks to and from school.

Alex was a born farmer and genuine countryman. He began working full-time on the family farm in 1939, aged just 14. War clouds loomed and his elder brother was seconded to Wensleydale for the war effort. Alex took all the pressures in his stride and ploughed land for crops, even planting tobacco and keeping bees.

In an interview for the Yorkshire Farmer magazine, Alex recalled that a day’s ploughing was followed by a day gathering the stones that had appeared and many days squeezing potatoes out of the mud.

He trained with the Home Guard and kept vigil over Ribblehead Viaduct, always with stirrup pump at hand to put out any fires.

He got on well with the Prisoners of War who worked at High Birkwith and learned some German and Italian, but never felt the need to visit either country. The former prisoners made return visits to him though when peace came.

After the war, Dalesbred sheep were swapped for the taller Swaledales, and Shorthorn cattle for Friesians, and Alex had many prizewinners at local shows, especially Horton.

Alex married Margaret Mellin, of Wigglesworth, in 1954 and they were received a card from the Queen on their diamond anniversary in 2014.

Alex helped Ribblesdale in all sorts of ways. He was a parish councillor and a churchwarden at St Oswald’s where he helped to save the east window and the pipe organ and actively supported the Church School.

As a young man he won a cup winners medal with Horton Football Club.

Alex walled and fenced off the ravines on his land not simply to save his stock from falling in, but to plant trees in them to green the landscape and provide shade. A green-fingered farmer, he won prizes with vegetables from his kitchen garden.

Lambert Coverdale, of the Yorkshire Farmer magazine, said of him: “Alex inspired me with his positive reasoning for keeping breeds, which has nothing to do with fashion, peer pressure or tradition. They are what suits the farm and its climate. When affected by extremes on such a rough terrain, he picks up the pieces and carries on.”

Alex is survived by his widow Margaret, three sons and a daughter, two granddaughters and one grandson, also called Alexander.