R. J. B. Knight is one of Britain's leading naval historians of the 18th century, a former Deputy Director of the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich, and author of a distinguished 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 John Beckett Knight was educated at Tonbridge School, received a BA and MA at Trinity College, Dublin

Trinity College, Dublin

Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...

, PGCE at the University of Sussex

University of Sussex

The University of Sussex is an English public research university situated next to the East Sussex village of Falmer, within the city of Brighton and Hove. The University received its Royal Charter in August 1961....

; and his Ph.D. from University College, London in 1972 with a thesis on "The Royal Dockyards in England at the time of the American War of Independence".

Professional career

At the National Maritime Museum

National Maritime Museum

The National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, England is the leading maritime museum of the United Kingdom and may be the largest museum of its kind in the world. The historic buildings forming part of the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site, it also incorporates the Royal Observatory, Greenwich,...

, Greenwich

Greenwich

Greenwich is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich.Greenwich is best known for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time...

, 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

Greenwich Maritime Institute

The Greenwich Maritime Institute is a part of the University of Greenwich. Established in 1998, it provides a specialist postgraduate and research institute within the large multi-faculty University of Greenwich...

 and regularly teaches on the post-graduate MA in Maritime History course, University of Greenwich

University of Greenwich

The University of Greenwich is a British university located in the London Borough of Greenwich, London, England. The main campus is located on the grounds of the Old Royal Naval College, a central location within the Maritime Greenwich UNESCO World Heritage Site.-History:The history of the...

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

Distinctions and awards

He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society

Royal Historical Society

The Royal Historical Society was founded in 1868. The premier society in the United Kingdom which promotes and defends the scholarly study of the past, it is based at University College London...

 and has served as a member of council of the 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 the 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

Mountbatten Maritime Prize

The Mountbatten Maritime Prize is awarded annually by the Maritime Foundation to the author of a distinguished publication that has made a significant contribution to the maritime history of the United Kingdom. The prize is a piece of silver plate...

, The Duke of Westminster's Medal for Military Literature

Duke of Westminster's Medal for Military Literature

The Duke of Westminster's Medal for Military Literature is awarded by the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies, , Whitehall, London....

, and the Anderson Medal of the Society of Nautical Research.

Published works

• Guide to the manuscripts in the National Maritime Museum (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 (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 Knoght and Martin Wilcox. (2010)