John Orton, 78, died from severe chest injuries after being trampled by cattle at Felbrigg Hall in Norfolk on July 13. Police were called to the estate at around 11.45am and Mr Orton died at the scene.
Inquest opened and adjourned
An inquest into his death was opened and adjourned at Norfolk Coroner’s Court on Friday (August 14). It is due to continue next year. Maeve Sykes, assistant coroner for Norfolk, read a statement from the coroner’s officer confirming that a post-mortem examination had given a provisional cause of death as “severe chest injuries due to having been trampled by cattle”. Mr Orton was a retired telecommunications engineer, the inquest heard.
Investigation and response
A Health and Safety Executive spokesperson said: “We are now leading the investigation into the death of John Orton. Our thoughts remain with his friends and family at this difficult time.” The hall, which has parts that date from Tudor times and was bequeathed to the National Trust in 1969, closed briefly after Mr Orton’s death.
Previous incident at the estate
In 2007, an 11-year-old boy died when a branch fell on him during a school trip to the stately home. Daniel Mullinger, from Colchester, Essex, died when the 70ft timber crashed down from a 180-year-old beech tree in the Great Wood at Felbrigg.
