Roberts, Richard Henry

Identity area

Type of entity

Person

Authorized form of name

Roberts, Richard Henry

Parallel form(s) of name

  • R.H. Roberts

  • Roberts, R.H.

  • Richard Henry Roberts

Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules

    Other form(s) of name

    • Dick Henry Roberts

    Identifiers for corporate bodies

    Description area

    Dates of existence

    1910-2003

    History

    One of the UK's leading amateur botanists and nature conservationists from Wales. He co-founded the North Wales Naturalists' Trust (North Wales Wildlife Trust) and was the organisation's first General Secretary. He had an international reputation for his expertise in Polypodium, Dactylorhiza, and Mimulus.

    Educated at the University College of Wales, Bangor. He received no formal education in botany at school or university. He spent his whole career working as a primary school teacher.

    In 1947, he was appointed to teach at Penmachno, Wales. This allowed him to study the mountain flora of Eryri (Snowdonia). He had a particular interest in ferns. Roberts studied the distribution patterns of plants against rock types.

    In 1955, he and his family moved to Bangor, Wales, where he was appointed head teacher until his retirement in 1974.

    Roberts was an active member of the British Pteridological Society (BPS) and the Botanical Society of the British Isles (BSBI) for almost 50 years. From 1955 to 1995, he was the BSBI Vice County Recorder for Anglesey (VC52).

    After extensive fieldwork, Roberts published 2 books:

    • The Flowering Plants and Ferns of Anglesey (Cardiff: National Museum of Wales, 1982)
    • An Atlas of the Flowering Plants and Ferns of Anglesey (The Author, 2002)

    In his lifetime, he would also publish nearly 50 scientific articles and papers on his own and was formally acknowledged in more than 20. Roberts' work was recognised in the naming of two taxa: Mimulus x robertsii and Equisetum x robertsii.

    Roberts was always happy to share his knowledge and experience. Often advising university staff and students, professional conservationists, taxonomists, and fellow amateur botanists.

    In 1979, Roberts developed a strong relationship with the University at Bangor and, in recognition of his botanical and conservation work, was awarded an Honorary MSc by the University of Wales. He also became an Honorary Member of the BSBI and was awarded the Linnean Society's H.H. Bloomer Medal for services to botany and conservation in 1999.

    Roberts was described as a very modest man who was content with working quietly without acknowledgement. His other interests included archaeology, Welsh history, poetry, and Welsh Mountain sheep breeding.

    Places

    Wales

    Legal status

    Functions, occupations and activities

    Mandates/sources of authority

    Internal structures/genealogy

    General context

    Relationships area

    Access points area

    Subject access points

    Place access points

    Occupations

    Teacher

    Note

    Primary School, later Head Teacher

    Control area

    Authority record identifier

    Institution identifier

    Rules and/or conventions used

    Status

    Level of detail

    Minimal

    Dates of creation, revision and deletion

    Created: April 2026, C.Kemnitz

    Language(s)

    • English

    Script(s)

    • Latin

    Sources

    Brown, Nigel. "Obituary: R.H. Roberts (1910-2003)" in Watsonia 25 (2004): 221-223. Available at: https://archive.bsbi.org.uk/Wats25p221.pdf

    Welsh Wikipedia (2022). R.H. Roberts [online] Available at: https://cy.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._H._Roberts

    Maintenance notes