TRIBUTES have been paid to a 19-year-old gamekeeper from Beckermet who was found dead in a field in the Scottish Borders just before Christmas.

Matthew Tyson, the son of Ian and Pauline Tyson of Beck Brow, Beckermet, a former pupil of West Lakes Academy, Egremont and an ex-student of Newton Rigg College, near Penrith, was discovered on December 23 on a remote estate in Berwickshire.

He died in a firearms accident on the Horseupcleugh Estate at Longformacus, near Duns.

The devastated Tyson family said Matthew was living his dream job.

He was the twin brother of Sarah Tyson and brother of Anthony and Lindsey. The long-standing family building and joinery business in Beckermet is A Tyson & Sons.

A Crown Office spokesman in Edinburgh said: “A report was received by the Scottish Fatalities Investigation Unit and enquiries are ongoing.”

Matthew’s head of year when he attended West Lakes Academy was Sue Wightman, who paid tribute to the teenager. She said: “Throughout his time at the Academy, Matthew was a model student. He always put in excellent effort to his studies, he was polite and conscientious and spent time studying at Newton Rigg to achieve his ambition of becoming a gamekeeper.

“He was a credit to his year group and to West Lakes Academy; we are devastated to hear of this tragic news and our thoughts are with his family at this time.”

Wes Johnson, of the Newton Rigg campus, said Mathew was “a very sound, quiet young man of high regard”.

“We are all saddened by the news and our thoughts are with his family and friends at this difficult time.”

Matthew had studied at the college for four years from 2010, starting on the schools programme before completing an extended diploma in countryside management.

As a child he and his sister Sarah had won prizes showing poultry at Fur and Feather shows at Egremont and Cockermouth.

Longformacus is situated in the north of Berwickshire in the Lammermuir Hills. Alex Jameson, estate manager at Horseupcleugh paid tribute to the young assistant gamekeeper, adding: “This was a tragic accident. Our thoughts are with Matthew’s family. We are assisting the authorities.”

And a spokesman for the Scottish Gamekeepers Association added: “Matthew was very highly regarded. This is a terrible loss to his family, friends and colleagues and we send strength to his family at this very difficult time.”

A statement from Police Scotland said: “Inquiries are ongoing but there appear to be no suspicious circumstances.”

Police were called to the 3,000 acre Horseupcleugh Estate on the day before Christmas Eve at 9.30am.