CAROLINE
JANE KNIGHT
Jane Austen’s fifth great-niece
Step into Jane Austen’s world, through the eyes of her family.
The last of Jane Austen’s nieces to grow up in Chawton House on the ancestral estate where Jane herself lived, wrote and published her most famous novels.
Through the Eyes of Her Family
Caroline Jane Knight, Jane Austen's fifth great-niece
I'm Caroline Jane Knight, Jane Austen's fifth great-niece.
I shared the same rooms as Jane, the same walks, traditions, heirlooms and ancestors - we even ate from the same Wedgwood dinner set and looked at the same books in the family library. My summers were spent working in Granny’s tearoom in the Great Hall, talking to Jane Austen lovers who had made the pilgrimage to her literary home. Growing up in Chawton was a privilege and great aunt Jane was a powerful role model for a young girl.
It is my mission to share and preserve my Austen family heritage for Janeites, historians and future generations, through storytelling, experiences and archiving. Every week, I share family stories—childhood memories from Chawton, family heirlooms Jane herself knew, photographs and insights from the family archive that will change how you read her novels.
This is Jane's world through the eyes of her family. Your membership subscription supports the preservation of Jane Austen family heritage.
International speaker, 150+ presentations worldwide | Join readers in 30 countries | Sharing and preserving Jane Austen family heritage for future generations
Experience This In Person
In Person and Virtual Events
At my international speaking engagements, in person and virtually, I bring Jane's world to life with our shared heritage, an inside look at Chawton House, authentic artifacts from my collection, and family stories that give audiences a unique Jane Austen experience.
I've presented at literary festivals, libraries, schools, universities, museums, cultural centres, private clubs, and Jane Austen societies across four continents—from Jane Austen Regency Week in Chawton to Colonial Williamsburg, from Melbourne to Delhi. Whether in a grand auditorium, an intimate high tea setting, or alongside a display of family artifacts, my presentations bring Jane's world to life for audiences of all sizes and settings.
Featured in:
The last of Jane Austen’s Nieces from Chawton
‘We four sweet Brothers & Sisters dine today at the Great House. Is not that quite natural?’
Jane Austen wrote to Caroline Austen on March 2, 1815.
Chawton House was built by John Knight in 1588 and handed down through generations. Jane Austen's brother Edward inherited the Chawton estate from the Knight family on the condition he changed his name from Austen to Knight.
In 1809, Jane moved into Chawton Cottage with her mother and sister—a short walk from Chawton 'Great' House, her brother's Hampshire home. Here, Jane wrote and published her greatest works: Sense & Sensibility, Pride & Prejudice, Mansfield Park, and Emma.
I am Edward's fourth great-granddaughter. I grew up at Chawton House while it was still the private home of Edward's descendants.
For eighteen years, I didn't study Jane Austen's world—I lived in it. I ran through the same halls Jane knew, browsed the family library she read, and explored the gardens that inspired her novels.
Every summer, I watched thousands of visitors make their pilgrimage to Jane Austen's House in the village. Many would walk to Chawton House, where we welcomed them into the 'Great' House that Jane herself had loved.
Now I share those memories through international speaking (I've presented at over 150 events worldwide), through my book Jane & Me: My Austen Heritage, through weekly stories as Jane Austen’s Niece and as Director of The Austen Knights of Chawton: A Family Archive, preserving our family's voice while we still can.
I am also Founder and Chair of the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation, Founder of the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation North American Friends and Patron of Jane Austen Regency Week.
Learn more about my Austen heritage here:
The Wedgwood dinner set Jane Austen wrote about and ate from, owned by my family and used throughout my childhood. It was last used for my parent’s 60th wedding anniversary, in 2025.
“We then went to Wedgwood's where my brother and Fanny chose a Dinner Set...the pattern is a small Lozenge in purple, between Lines of narrow Gold; - and it is to have the Crest.”
Jane wrote to Cassandra on 16th September 1813
These Stories Will Be Lost Forever—Unless We Preserve Them Now
The Austen Knights of Chawton - A Family Archive
My family are the last to have lived at Chawton House. We hold irreplaceable memories, stories, photographs, artifacts and insights that exist nowhere else on earth.
My parents still own the Wedgwood dinner set chosen when Jane visited the London showroom with her brother Edward. We carry memories of what it was like to live in the ancestral home of the Austen Knight family—the sounds of the fire roaring in the Great Hall, the delights of Snap-Dragon on Christmas Eve, the weight of 400 years of family history in every corner.
When my generation is gone, these first-hand Austen family insights disappear.
That's why I'm dedicated to preserving my family's collective knowledge—documenting memories, traditions, family stories and artifacts, digitizing hundreds of photographs, and creating what will become the most comprehensive archive of life at Chawton House ever assembled. Every subscription and membership supports this vital heritage preservation work.
What's Being Preserved:
Hundreds of photographs spanning multiple generations at Chawton
Family memories from those who lived in Chawton ‘Great’ House, as Jane called it
Oral histories and recorded voices before they're lost
Artifacts and heirlooms Jane herself would have known
Stories that bring her world to life in ways only her family can share
This isn't just about enjoying Jane Austen today. It's about ensuring her family's voice survives for tomorrow.
We're the last generation to hold these memories. Some family members have already passed, taking their memories with them. Join us in preserving what remains.
Click for more information and to become a Jane Austen family heritage supporter:
Welcome To The Family
Whether you're a devoted Janeite or just discovering Austen's world, you'll find a warm welcome here.
This is an invitation into Jane's family, where her stories live on through the memories, artifacts, and voices of those who knew her world firsthand.
I'm delighted you've found your way here, and I hope you'll join me in preserving these precious stories.
I'm pictured here on the right with (L to R) my brother Paul, my mother Carol, and my father Jeremy Knight at the South door of Chawton House in 1987, when it was still our family home.
Please Join Me:
Membership Subscription for Weekly Stories — $100/year (or $10 per month) Full access to archive of Jane Austen’s Niece articles and exclusive new weekly content from Jane Austen’s family. Your subscription supports our heritage preservation work.
Become a Sustaining Member — $250/year Everything above plus signed book, private Chawton gatherings, annual virtual events, and recognition as one of the first 100 heritage supporters.
Or begin with Free Monthly Updates Monthly glimpses into Jane's world delivered to your inbox.
