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8 Things you may not know about Jane Austen’s Brother Edward Austen Knight

Born 7 October 1767 – Died 19 November 1852

Edward Austen died peacefully at his Godmersham home at the age of eighty-five and is buried beside his wife in Godmersham Church.

One could say that Edward Austen had been lucky in life. Although his birth year is often reported as 1768, he was actually born the previous year on 7 October 1767 as clearly written in the Parish Register.

Born into a loving, fun and intelligent family, they affectionately called him ‘Neddy’.

Edward was described as being good, amiable, and sweet-tempered. This probably brought him to the attention of Thomas Knight who was a cousin of his father’s who had no children of his own. He and his wife Elizabeth looked around the family for an heir and chose to adopt Edward.

He was presented to them when he was around fifteen years old, and to mark the occasion, Thomas commissioned a silhouette by William Wellings of London (who was known for painting Pitt the Younger) which shows George Austen presenting his son to the Knights with Mrs Knight’s mother.

William Wellings Silhouette of Edward Austen Presented to Knight Family (Public Domain 1783

Unlike his brothers, Edward did not go to University. Instead, he was taught at home as a country gentleman to take on the duties of the estates. Edward loved the countryside, and enjoyed horse riding and hunting with the boys in the surrounding villages.

He went on a Grand Tour of the Continent between 1786 and 1790 when he was 18 years old which included a year spent in Dresden, then on to Italy and Rome.

As a memento of his tour, Edward’s full length portrait was painted when he was twenty-one. A fragment of broken marble and a ruined temple can be seen in the background, as though it was painted in Italy!

Edward Austen, Anonymous portrait painted in 1789 during the Grand Tour © Chawton House ©Emma Darlington Phtograph Courtesy of Chawton House

Edward wrote journals and illuminating letters home showing his writing talents matched those of his siblings. They are still in existence today, and show that he loved to describe his surroundings and experiences in great detail.

When he returned from his Grand Tour, he met and married Elizabeth Bridges on 27 December 1791. She was a local beauty and the daughter of Sir Brook Bridges of Goodnestone Park near Wingham.

They lived in Rowling House after their marriage, a short walk from Goodnestone. According to Jane’s letters she walked from Rowling to Goodnestone Park on most days. “We were at a Ball on Saturday. We dined at Goodnestone and in the Evening danced two Country Dances and the Boulangeries. I opened the Ball with Edwd Bridges … We supped there, and walked home at night under the shade of two Umbrellas.‘

They later moved into Godmersham Manor which was larger and could accommodate their growing family.

Jane made the stagecoach journey from her Hampshire home many times to stay for long periods and help look after her nieces and nephews. It has been speculated that Godmersham was inspiration for Mansfield Park, and moving in wealthy circles gave Jane ideas for the characters in her novels.

Upon the death of Edward’s adoptive father Thomas Knight in 1794, Godmersham Park was inherited by his wife Elizabeth with the remainder of his estate going to Edward. She gave it to Edward and moved to a house in Canterbury until she died in 1812. Edward then took the name ‘Knight’ in appreciation of their generosity.

Although there were two estates included in his inheritance, Godmersham Park in Kent and Hampshire, Edward also inherited a third estate in Wittersham, also in Kent. He kept himself busy managing the estates and was made High Sheriff of Kent in 1801.

Godmersham Park Painting also used on the Jane Austen £10 Bank Note (Public Domain)

Edward’s first child Fanny Catherine was born in 1793, the first of eleven children. She would become Jane’s fondest niece whom she thought of ‘as another sister’. Jane would often advise her later in life when it came to marriage and matters of the heart, and it was one of Jane’s last pleasures to re-read Fanny’s letters before she died.

On 10 October 1808, Cassandra was visiting Godmersham and Jane was at Southampton when the news arrived that Elizabeth had died. It was shortly after the birth of her eleventh child, and she was only 35 years old. It was a shocking blow to the family.

After his wife’s death, Edward spent more time in Hampshire to be closer to his family, and Cassandra often visited to take care of his children.

Edward was a bit of a hypochondriac like his mother, and possibly the management of such large estates and money worries brought on stress. He would often complain of stomach disorders and gout.

Jane almost lost the right to live in Chawton Cottage after there was a claim on the estates. His inheritance was challenged through an earlier will linked to his adoptive mother Elizabeth. If the will was upheld, he would have lost the Hampshire estate. It dragged on for years and Edward ultimately settled out of court which shows the seriousness of the claim. In order to pay their claim, Edward had to chop down trees and sell the wood from Chawton Woods. This created a hole in the forest that you can still see today.

Edward lived at Godmersham until his death on 19 November 1852, spending most of his time with his children and grand-children. He had been in good spirits on his usual drive around the countryside the day before.

On the morning of his death, he woke early and asked his servant to leave him to rest, and when the servant returned he had passed away.

One of his relations said afterwards,

It strikes me as a characteristic end of his prosperous and placid life, and he will certainly leave on the minds of all who knew him an image of Gentleness and quiet Cheerfulness of no ordinary degree.

Built in 1732 on the site of an earlier Elizabethan building, Godmersham Park was part of the Knight family estate. Jane’s brother Edward was adopted by the son of Thomas Knight, a distant cousin of Mr Austen. Edward loved the countryside, and enjoyed horse riding and hunting with the boys in the surrounding villages.

Instead of going to University like his brothers, Edward trained to manage the Knight family estates in Kent and Hampshire which he eventually inherited. Elizabeth Bridges was a local beauty, and after Edward returned from a Grand Tour of Europe, they married. Their first home was at Rowling House before moving to Godmersham when Edward inherited following Thomas Knight’s death in 1794.

Jane was 23 years old when she first visited Godmersham, and was in the company of her parents and sister Cassandra. This was just weeks after her brother took possession of the estate and they stayed for two months, from late August to late October 1798.

Jane often wrote in the library, and it is thought that after one of her visits to Godmersham she wrote the first draft of First Impressions, later titled Pride and Prejudice.

Following Jane’s surviving letters, we can read that Jane’s next visit was from September to October in 1803, and then again in 1805. This was for three months after Mr Austen died, from mid-June to mid-September.

In 1808 she went alone for three weeks, from mid-June to early July, and it was in the following months that Cassandra would visit to help Elizabeth with the children. It was during this visit that their sister-in-law Elizabeth died on 10 October 1808, age 35. The family was devastated, and Cassandra would spend months at Kent taking care of her nieces and nephews.

Jane’s next visit was in 1809 for six weeks, from mid-May until the end of June. It was said that Godmersham was inspiration for Mansfield Park, and moving in wealthy circles gave Jane ideas for the characters in her novels. Her final stay was from September to November 1813. During this visit she wrote to Cassandra that “we live in the Library except at Meals & have a fire every Even^g.”

Edward died peacefully at his Godmersham home on 19 November 1852 age 85, and is laid to rest beside his wife in St Lawrence The Martyr Church within the Godmersham estate.

His children erected a monument inside the church, that reads:

In the family vault beneath are deposited the remains of Edward Knight of Godmersham Park in this Parish. Mr. Knight whose paternal name was Austen succeeded by will in 1794 to the estates of his cousin Thomas Knight esq. and on the death of his widow in 1812, assumed the name and arms of Knight.
In this same vault is buried ELIZABETH his wife, third daughter of Sir Brook Bridges of Goodnestone Park. They had issue eleven children of whom the nine surviving have caused this monument to be erected to the memory of their beloved parents.

Visit Godmersham Park Today

Godmersham Park was sold to the Sunley family in 1983, and they lease it to the Association of British Dispensing Opticians.

You can visit the beautiful house and gardens during the annual National Garden Open Days and when set tours or events are held at the Godmersham Park Heritage Museum.