1768 - 1852

 

You may wonder why Edward has a different surname to the rest of his siblings. Newly married Thomas Knight and his bride Catherine took a tour of their inherited estates and visited their distant cousin George Austen (Snr) and family at Steventon. The couple were childless and took became attached to Jane's twelve year old brother Edward on their visit, and took him with them on the tour of their estates. The couple remained childless and adopted sixteen year old Edward in 1783. At the time, it was not uncommon for wealthy relations to adopt a child from a less fortunate relation. 

 

When he was just eighteen, the couple paid for Edward to go on a Grand Tour of Europe. He documented his experiences in a journal, which has been published in book format by the Jane Austen Society of Australia. 

 

Thomas Knight died in 1794 and left his Godmersham estate to his wife and confirmed Edward as his adopted heir. In his will was a clause that stated if Edward did not have any children, it would pass to Edward's brothers in succession. Four years after Thomas' death, Catherine decided the estate would be better in Edward's hands and she moved to Cantebury. However, Jane didn't believe this to be an act of genorosity: 

 

"Mrs Knights giving up the Godmersham Estate to Edward was no such prodigious act of Generosity after all it seems, for she has reserved herself an income out of it still;—this ought to be known, that her conduct may not be over-rated.—I rather think Edward shews the most Magnanimity of the two, in accepting her Resignation with such Incumbrances"

 

When Catherine died in 1812, Edward changed his surname to Knight as per a stipulation in Catherine's will. Edward provided financial support to his family, and as part of his inheritance, Edward had also acquired the Chawton estate, where he would later house his sisters and mother in Chawton cottage. Edward never pursued a profession as his time was taken up maintaining his estates. Although he raised and was appointed Captain of the Godmersham and Molash Company of the East Kent Volunteers when war broke out with France. 

 

Edward married Elizabeth Bridges in 1791, and they had a large family of eleven children, including one of Jane's favourite nieces Fanny. One of Edward's youngest children was named in tribute to his two sisters: Cassandra Jane. Unfortunately, his wife Elizabeth died during her eleventh childbirth in 1808. 

 

In 1823, the rectory at Steventon, where the Austen family grew up, was severely damaged by flooding. Edward knocked down the rectory and built a new one for his son William Knight who had taken on the living.