The incident in 1976 was a mark of the hunt chairman’s love of country pursuits, said friends this week. They paid tribute to a shy, conscientious and gentle man whose greatest successes during a considerable political career, which began when he overturned a 7,773 majority to become MP for Bosworth, Leicestershire, in 1970, came as a valued team player, perhaps more so than as a front bench spokesman.

Certainly, tales of reckless bravery would have surprised the parliamentary journalists who followed his public life as Margaret Thatcher’s Private Secretary and in a variety of government roles following the 1979 election. Writing for the Guardian, Michael White derided the “funereal” and “mournful” tones of the minister of state for industry (1979-81), Northern Ireland (1981-84) and defence procurement (1984-85).

Despite, or perhaps because of, his father ‘Rab’ Butler’s glittering political career - which included spells as chancellor, home secretary, foreign secretary and very nearly as Tory leader instead of Harold Macmillan - his son was often underestimated.

But it was not just the constituents who returned him three times who appreciated his diligent work, level-headedness and considerable negotiating skill. Though she sacked him as a minister, Mrs Thatcher put him forward for the privy council in 1984 and a knighthood in 1986.

After his time as defence procurement minister, the Lighthorne resident for more than 50 years, married to wife Felicity in 1955, announced he would be giving up Bosworth “for personal reasons”. Some took that as meaning he needed to make up for his ministerial income because of losses at Lloyds. Around this time, he sold an heirloom, Seurat’s picture Le Cheval a Gravelines, for £6 million at auction in New York.

Sir Adam then returned to the successful career in industry which he began in his 20s when, after attending Eton and reading history and economics at Cambridge, he accepted a position with Viscose in Preston, a wing of his grandfather’s textiles empire.

He became a director of HP Bulmer Holdings in 1988 and chairman of the CMW group in 1989. He was also a president of the Stoneleigh-based British Horse Society in 1990, Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Warwick-shire in 1993 and Vice Lord Lieutenant from 1998.

The committed Christian was a warden of St Laurence church in Lighthorne and directed the successful £35,000 appeal to restore the 15th century bells to former glories.

The Rev John Burrell said: “Adam was an approachable and humble man whose faith was strong.”

With a 200-acre farm and time to indulge in his loves of art, field sports and music, his semi-retirement was a happy one - though he bought his business skills to his passion when he made the hunt a limited company and stabilised its finances. Joint hunt secretary Simon Jackson said: “Adam’s passion for hunting was shared with a love of shooting and stalking and nor was he happier than when ‘doing the sheep’ on his farm.