Mascot tortoise dies aged 160

He served in the Crimean War before retiring to a life in the countryside.

Now, at the ripe old age of around 160, Britain's oldest known resident - Timothy the tortoise - has died.

Timothy's retirement had been a particularly long one, around a century shuffling around the gardens of Powderham Castle in Devon.

The pet of several Earls of Devon, the tortoise would hibernate during the winter in the castle's rose garden, bearing the written tag: "My name is Timothy. I am very old - please do not pick me up."

However, before joining the family in 1892, Timothy had led a particularly active life for a tortoise.

He was a mascot on HMS Queen, which bombarded Sebastopol in 1854, and visited China.

An attempt to mate him in 1926 ended in failure, after which it was established that Timothy was female.