My father, Michael Roper, who has died aged 92, held the top job at the Public Record Office in Kew, south-west London, from 1988 until his retirement in 1992.
As keeper of public records at what is now the National Archives, Michael oversaw major expansion plans for Kew in the early 90s that came to fruition in 1995, three years after he had stepped down.
In earlier roles there he had also played a significant part in managing the initial transfer of the entire operation from its ancient central London base in Chancery Lane to the purpose-built new facility at Kew in 1977.
After retirement he became a consultant, went on lecture tours, spoke at conferences around the world, and wrote more than 90 monographs, articles, reports and papers on his field of expertise.
Michael was born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, to Jack, a printer, and Mona (nee Nettleton), a grocers’ assistant. After attending Heath grammar school in Halifax he did his national service with the Royal Artillery and then the Intelligence Corps, where he learned Russian as the cold war began to heat up. In the mid-50s he gained a first class degree in medieval and modern history, followed by a master’s, at the University of Manchester.
In 1957, while at university, he married his Halifax sweetheart, Barbara Earnshaw, and it was Barbara who spotted the advert for an assistant keeper at the Public Record Office in Chancery Lane that would change his life.
Serving for more than 32 years at the PRO, he rose from assistant to assistant principal, and from principal to head keeper as he showed himself to be adept at all facets of his work. Having been made an honorary doctor of letters by the University of Bradford in 1991, he was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath during the year he retired.
In 1960 Michael and Barbara had moved to Rayleigh in Essex, where they joined Rayleigh Methodist church and Michael was a scout leader. When the PRO switched to Kew they relocated in 1977 to nearby Teddington, where they continued their church activities and were members of Hampton Choral Society.
After moving to the village of Roxwell in Essex in 2001, they immersed themselves in local life there, keeping busy with the church, two choirs and a wine tasting club. A keen ornithologist, watcher of sport and avid reader, Michael did the Guardian crosswords and Killer Sudoku until the day he died.
Barbara died in 2020. Michael is survived by his children, Nigel and me, two grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
