James Michael Collinson

James Michael Collinson – Michael to family and friends – was born in Bradford on 8 August 1929, the only child of James Arthur Collinson and his wife Amy, who were then living in Halifax. Three years later the family moved to Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, where James Collinson had been appointed to the headship of a new junior technical school.

Michael attended Newcastle High School and from there gained a scholarship to Queens’, where he read History. After graduating he took a Diploma in Archive Administration at Liverpool University.

His first post was in the Ipswich and East Suffolk Record Office, where he worked for over five years before moving to the Archives Department of Leeds City Libraries, first as assistant, then as archivist. During his time there he was particularly active in securing deposits of records, earned the gratitude of many researchers and also met his wife Catherine, a fellow archivist. They married in 1971.

In 1982 Michael took early retirement, and this began probably the happiest period of his life. He devoted his retirement to local history, researching in local record offices and The National Archives. This resulted in a substantial history of Headingley, the Leeds suburb where he lived after his marriage, and a number of published articles, mostly in local publications. Michael was also active in local history societies: at different times he served on the council of the Thoresby Society of Leeds, edited a journal for the Medieval Section of what was then the Yorkshire Archaeological Society and was joint editor, with Catherine, of the Yorkshire Archaeological Journal.

Besides his historical interests, Michael enjoyed walking, gardening, visiting art galleries and listening to opera. Holidays abroad were another source of pleasure, and he chose to spend his eightieth birthday in Paris. His ninetieth was celebrated nearer home, in Whitby.