MALMESBURY Town Council has paid tribute to the sixth Earl of Malmesbury, William James Harris, who died on Saturday, November 11aged 92.

Malmesbury town clerk Edward Ferguson said: "The Earl was an ambassadorial figure for the town and always viewed Malmesbury with great affection."

The Earl, who succeeded to the title in 1950, lived in Hampshire.

Mr Ferguson said: "He was a jovial and very down-to-earth person, very much a pragmatist. He was a lovely man, who spoke very highly of Malmesbury."

The title will now pass to his son, Viscount FitzHarris.