https://janeaustenlf.org/news/48-edward-austen-knight-and-emma-s-mr-knightley
October 30, 2015
Edward Austen Knight and Emma's Mr Knightley?
On this day in 1812, Jane's brother Edward Austen changed his name to Knight to become the 11th Squire of Chawton Great House. Edward is our founder Caroline's 4th great grandfather, and, perhaps, the inspiration behind Jane Austen's Mr Knightley from her novel 'Emma', published only 3 years later?
Edward Austen Knight (left, c. 1790) - was he the inspiration for Emma's Mr Knightley (right, played by Jeremy Northam)
It wasn’t the first time a Chawton squire had adopted the Knight name along with his inheritance. John Knight built Chawton Great House, as Jane called it, in 1588 and since that time four Squires had changed their name in order to inherit the estate from a relation. Edward Austen was the fifth.
Siblings Richard, Christopher and Elizabeth Martin all changed their name to Knight to become the 6th, 7th and 8th Squire of Chawton respectively. Like her brothers before her Elizabeth had no children and upon her death in 1737 the estate passed to Thomas Brodnax, who had earlier changed his name to May to inherit Godmersham Park from another of his relations. Thomas changed his name once again by act of parliament and became the fourth Squire of Chawton born with a different name. Thomas Knight I, as he became, married a second cousin of George Austen’s and appointed George as Rector of Steventon, a position that came with a home for his family, a small living and farm land. Jane was born in 1775 and lived in the Steventon Rectory until she was 25 and George moved the family to Bath.
Thomas Knight died in 1781 leaving the estates to his son Thomas Knight II, when Jane was just 6 years old. Thomas II and his wife Catherine had visited the Austen’s on their wedding tour of the Hampshire Estates and took a particular liking to twelve year old Edward, George and Cassandra’s third son, and took him with them on the remainder of the tour.
Thomas and Catherine were not blessed with children of their own and Edward Austen was chosen as heir to the estates. Edward was gradually introduced to his new life, spending term time being tutored by his father and the holidays with the Knights, before being adopted in about 1783 when he was 15 years old (although there was no legal adoption process in law at that time).
Thomas Knight II died in 1794, leaving his estates to Catherine for her life, confirming Edward Austen to be the 11th squire of Chawton.
In 1809 Edward offered the Austen ladies a choice of properties on either his Godmersham or Chawton Estates. ‘Everybody’, wrote Jane from Southampton, ‘is acquainted with Chawton and speaks of it as a remarkably pretty village, and everyone knows the house we describe’. On 7th July 1809, Mrs Austen moved into the newly renovated bailiff’s house in the village with her daughters Jane and Cassandra and their companion Martha Lloyd. Great-aunt Jane had not yet achieved her ambition to become a published author and at last Jane had the home, security and privacy she needed to concentrate her efforts on her writing. By all accounts the ladies were happy and settled well in Chawton and on 30th October 1811 Jane published her first novel, 'Sense & Sensibility'. She was on her way.
Edwin Austen Knight (abt. 1790 (left) and Jeremy Northam as Mr. Knightley (right)
All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt. (Charles M. Schulz)
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