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Book prize host and Walter Scott descendant dies aged 49

Walter Scott Prize/Abbotsford Trust A man with light brown hair with grey temples in a light jacket with a striped shirt underneathWalter Scott Prize/Abbotsford Trust
Matthew Maxwell Scott presented the prize in his ancestor's honour less than a month ago

Tributes have been paid to a descendant of the novelist Sir Walter Scott - and host of the book prize in his honour - who has died aged 49.

Matthew Maxwell Scott was a great-great-great-great grandson of the man considered by many to be the founding father of the historical novel.

Less than a month ago he presented the Walter Scott Prize to winner Alice Jolly during the Borders Book Festival in Melrose.

A statement from the Abbotsford Trust, where he was a trustee, said everyone had been "deeply shocked" by his death.

"Matthew served as a trustee from 2015, providing an invaluable link to the family and descendants of Sir Walter Scott, and the home and collection they so generously bequeathed to The Abbotsford Trust," it said.

"Matthew brought a passion for and commitment to Scott's legacy that was unmatched.

"He was very proud of his ancestor's achievements."

It said he had been the "perfect host" of the prize for the past three years.

"In this role, his charm, wit and warmth earned him still more friends and fans," it said.

Maxwell Scott, who was the chief executive of the Consumer Legal Association (CLA), died at home in Lancaster on Sunday.

"As everybody at Abbotsford and The Walter Scott Prize attempts to come to terms with such a tragic and sudden loss, we reflect on Matthew's outstanding contribution to securing the legacy of his ancestor, and for the kindness, generosity and good humour for which he was always known," continued the statement.

"All our thoughts go to Matthew's young family, for whom the loss is unimaginable.

"He will be sorely missed."

A statement from the CLA described him as a "highly respected and highly popular figure throughout the consumer legal industry and beyond.

"We have all lost a friend and a colleague who still had so much more to achieve but our thoughts right now are with his wife, his two sons and family for whom this loss will be far greater.

"They have lost a devoted husband, a proud father and a loving family man."