''For the English cricketer, administrator, and schoolmaster, see

Roger Knight Roger David Verdon Knight (born 6 September 1946) is an English administrator, cricketer and schoolmaster. He was awarded the OBE in 2007. He is an Honorary Life Member of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and was President of the club from ...

'' Roger John Beckett Knight (born 11 April 1944) is a British

naval historian Naval warfare is combat in and on the sea, the ocean, or any other battlespace involving a major body of water such as a large lake or wide river. Mankind has fought battles on the sea for more than 3,000 years. Even in the interior of large la ...

of the 18th century, a former Deputy Director of the

National Maritime Museum The National Maritime Museum (NMM) is a maritime museum in Greenwich, London. It is part of Royal Museums Greenwich, a network of museums in the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site. Like other publicly funded national museums in the United ...

at Greenwich, and author of a biography of Admiral Lord Nelson.

Early life and education

The son of Lieutenant-Commander John B. Knight of Bromley, Kent, and Alyson Yvonne née Nunn, Roger Knight was educated at

Tonbridge School (God Giveth the Increase) , established = , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent day and boarding , religion = , president = , head_label ...

, received a

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

and

M.A. A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

Trinity College, Dublin , name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin , motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin) , motto_lang = la , motto_English = It will last i ...

Professional Graduate Certificate in Education The Professional Graduate Certificate in Education (ProfGCE) is an award in England and Wales for undergraduate degree holders that attended the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) and trained to be a teacher. It is very similar and enable ...

(PGCE) at the

University of Sussex , mottoeng = Be Still and Know , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £14.4 million (2020) , budget = £319.6 million (2019–20) , chancellor = Sanjeev Bhaskar , vice_chancellor = Sasha Roseneil , ...

; and his

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

from

University College, London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = � ...

in 1972 with a thesis on "The Royal Dockyards in England at the time of the American War of Independence".

Professional career

At the

Greenwich Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...

, he served as Deputy Curator of Manuscripts, 1974–77; Curator of Manuscripts, 1977–81; Deputy Head, Books and Manuscripts, 1981–84; Head Information Project Group, 1984–86; Head, Documentation Division, 1986–88; Head, Collections Division and Chief Curator, 1988–93; Deputy Director and Head, Display Division, 1993–95; Deputy Director and Head, Information Division, 1995–97; and Deputy Director, 1997-2000. Upon his retirement from the National Maritime Museum in 2001, he was appointed Visiting Professor of Naval History in the Greenwich Maritime Institute and regularly teaches on the post-graduate MA in Maritime History course,

University of Greenwich The University of Greenwich is a public university located in London and Kent, United Kingdom. Previous names include Woolwich Polytechnic and Thames Polytechnic. The university's main campus is at the Old Royal Naval College, which along with it ...

. In 2005, he was appointed Professor of Naval History.

Distinctions and awards

He is a Fellow of the

Royal Historical Society The Royal Historical Society, founded in 1868, is a learned society of the United Kingdom which advances scholarly studies of history. Origins The society was founded and received its royal charter in 1868. Until 1872 it was known as the Histori ...

and has served as a member of council of th
Society for Nautical Research
1975–79, and as Vice President, 1992-2006. In addition, he has served on the Council and has been senior Vice President of th
Navy Records Society
For his 2005 book, ''The pursuit of victory: the life and achievement of Horatio Nelson,'' Knight was awarded the

Mountbatten Maritime Prize The Mountbatten Maritime Award is awarded annually by the Maritime Foundation (formerly the British Maritime Charitable Foundation) to the author of a distinguished publication that has made a significant contribution to the maritime history of th ...

, The

Duke of Westminster's Medal for Military Literature The Duke of Westminster's Medal for Military Literature was awarded by the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies, (the RUSI), Whitehall, London. Awarded annually from 1997 to 2016, the Medal was given to honour a living au ...

, and the Anderson Medal of the Society of Nautical Research. In June 2014, the National Maritime Museum presented him its

Caird Medal The National Maritime Museum (NMM) is a maritime museum in Greenwich, London. It is part of Royal Museums Greenwich, a network of museums in the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site. Like other publicly funded national museums in the United ...

. Announcement and text of acceptance address
/ref>

Published works

*''Guide to the manuscripts in the National Maritime Museum'' Two vols. (1977-1980) *''The journal of Daniel Paine, 1794-1797 : together with documents illustrating the beginning of government boat-building and timber-gathering in New South Wales, 1795-1805,'' edited by R.J.B. Knight and

Alan Frost Alan J. Frost , (born 29 March 1943) is an Australian academic and professor emeritus at La Trobe University. A major theme of his research has involved the European exploration of the Pacific Ocean over the second half of the eighteenth centur ...

(1983) *''Portsmouth dockyard papers, 1774-1783: the American war: a calendar'' (1987) *''Shipbuilding timber for the British Navy : parliamentary papers, 1729-1792: a facsimile reproduction with an introduction by R.J.B. Knight'' (1993). *''The pursuit of victory : the life and achievement of Horatio Nelson'' (2005). * ''Sustaining the Fleet, 1793-1815: War, the British Navy and the Contractor State'', by Roger Knight and Martin Wilcox (2010) * ''Britain Against Napoleon: The Organization of Victory, 1793-1815'' (2013). * ''William IV: A King at Sea'' (2015)

Website

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Knight, R.J.B. English naval historians Academics of the University of Greenwich 1944 births Living people People educated at Tonbridge School Alumni of Trinity College Dublin Fellows of the Royal Historical Society Alumni of University College London Alumni of the University of Sussex