AN expert in ancient history who became a tutor and fellow at Brasenose College in Oxford has passed away.

David Stockton, who died on July 10, rose to become the college’s senior proctor and was an author of books and articles in his discipline.

He was born in Battersea, London, in 1925 and was the youngest of three brothers. Their mother supplemented the family income by running a sweet shop.

Following an education at a Battersea secondary school, he was conscripted into the Navy in 1943 and worked on Japanese codes at Bletchley Park.

His friend Harry Judge, emeritus fellow at Brasenose, said this experience may have honed his formidable skills at solving crosswords.

Mr Stockton’s ability to finish the crossword in the only copy of The Times kept in the college’s senior common room led to a second copy being bought for everyone else.

His devotion to puzzles was shared by Inspector Morse author Colin Dexter . The pair worked together when Mr Dexter was a senior official at the Oxford Local Examinations.

After his Naval service, Mr Stockton became an undergraduate at Magdalen College in Oxford. At the end of his first year he met his wife Sylvia.

He worked for a year in the Home Office and then spent three years teaching at Durham University before being elected as the ancient history tutor at Brasenose.

It was there he remained, writing books and articles and rising to become senior tutor, tutor for admissions, bursar, dean, vice-principal and the university’s senior proctor in 1970-71.

In 1964 he acted as one of the hosts to The Beatles when they made a surprise visit to the college, engineered by author and politician Jeffrey Archer.

It was a tribute to his teaching that, upon his retirement at 67, a group of his former pupils contributed to a fund to secure the his Brasenose post for a successor.

One of his pupils is recorded as saying: “An archetypal Oxford tutor; a preservation order (Grade One) should be slapped on him immediately.”

Mr Stockton is survived by his wife, three daughters Salley, Deborah and Candida, seven grandchildren and great-grandchild. He has bequeathed his body for medical research.