Dr Kellett died in Harrogate Hospital on June 25, aged 83.

Tributes have poured in from across the district, and indeed Yorkshire, as people, with their fond memories of him, recall the impact he had on their lives.

The Mayor of Knaresborough, Coun Mavis Clemmitt, said Dr Kellett would always be remembered with much love and respect and his passing was a great loss to the town.

MP Phil Willis added “Knaresborough will be all the poorer for his passing” while Carl Sugden, Head of King James’s School, where Dr Kellett taught, said: “Arnold Kellett is woven into the history of King James’s School and will be sadly missed by the school and his former colleagues. His knowledge of the school was unsurpassed.”

A Freeman of Knaresborough, Dr Kellett was a former town councillor and mayor of the town in 1979/80 and 1984/85.

A Methodist lay preacher, he was a committed member of Gracious Street Methodist Church, the president of Knaresborough Choral Society, a regular speaker at Knaresborough and District Men’s Forum and president of Claro and District Sword and Morris Men.

He became a teacher at King James’s School in 1956, going on to become Head of the Modern Languages department until his retirement in 1983.

Author of countless books covering a wide range of subjects from dialect to local history, from Blind Jack to Christmastime in Knaresborough, at the time of his death he was working on an updated version of his A to Z of Knaresborough History.

Dr Kellett was a family man first and foremost. He and his wife, Pat, would have celebrated their 56th wedding anniversary this month.

They had four children and 15 grandchildren.

l The funeral service will take place on Tuesday, at 12.30pm at Gracious Street Methodist Church, Knaresborough.

l A full family tribute to Dr Kellett will appear in a future edition of the Knaresborough Post.

l Tributes: page three; letters and opinion: page six.