CAROLINE
JANE KNIGHT

Step into Jane Austen’s world, through the eyes of her family.

Jane Austen’s fifth great-niece

The last of Jane Austen’s nieces to grow up at 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 — and I grew up in Jane Austen’s Chawton, not as a scholar or researcher, but as a member of her family.

For eighteen years, Chawton House was my home. I shared the same rooms Jane knew, browsed the same family library, heard the same family stories passed down through generations, and ate from the same Wedgwood dinner service she accompanied my fourth great-grandfather Edward to choose in London in 1813. My summers were spent working in Granny's tearoom in the Great Hall, meeting Jane Austen lovers who had made the pilgrimage from every corner of the world to her literary home in our village.

It is my mission to share and preserve my Austen family heritage for Janeites, historians and future generations. Every week, I share Jane Austen family stories — childhood memories from Chawton House, family heirlooms Jane herself knew, photographs and insights from our private family archive that exist nowhere else.

This is Jane Austen's world through the eyes of her family.

Jane Austen's Niece — Weekly Stories

Every week, I share Jane Austen family stories that exist nowhere else — childhood memories from Chawton House, photographs from our private collection, recipes from the Knight Family Cookbook, heirlooms Jane herself knew, and insights into her life and world that only her family can give.

Join readers in 30 countries who step into Jane's world through her family's eyes. Your subscription directly supports the preservation of Jane Austen's family heritage for future generations.

Free monthly stories or subscribe for weekly access from US$10 per month.

Experience Jane Austen’s World In Person

In Person and Virtual Events

From state libraries and literary festivals to private gatherings and Jane Austen societies, I bring Jane's world to life through family stories, childhood memories of Chawton House, antique Regency fashion and authentic artifacts from our private collection — including the Wedgwood dinner service Jane herself ate from.

I've presented at over 150 events across four continents — from Jane Austen Regency Week in Chawton to Colonial Williamsburg, from Melbourne to Delhi — in person and virtually. Whether you're planning a live event or a virtual gathering, I'd love to bring this unique Austen family perspective to your audience.

Featured in:

‘We four sweet Brothers & Sisters dine today at the Great House. Is not that quite natural?’‍

Jane Austen wrote to her niece Caroline Austen on March 2, 1815.

“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 Austen wrote to her sister Cassandra on September 16, 1813

Chawton Tours with Jane's Family

This June and July, experience Chawton through the eyes of Jane Austen's family — the only person in the world showing you this village as both a Janeite destination and a family home.

I'll walk you through Chawton village sharing the history Jane knew, the family stories passed down through generations, and the Chawton of my own childhood. Add lunch at Chawton House and a tour of the house and gardens for a complete day in Jane's world.

Tours run select days in June and July. Private tours for groups of up to ten also available.

"This is the closest you'll ever get to meeting Jane Austen herself."

Discover Britain Magazine

Available June and July 2026 only — spaces are limited.

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.

I am documenting memories, traditions and family stories, digitising hundreds of photographs, recording oral histories, and preserving details of the heirlooms and artifacts Jane herself would have known — creating the most comprehensive archive of life at Chawton House ever assembled.

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.

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.

Pictured left to right: my brother Paul Edward Knight, my mother Carol Knight, my father Jeremy Knight, and me, at the South door of Chawton House in 1987, when it was still our family home.

Please Join Me:

Membership Subscription for Weekly Stories — US$100/year (or $10 per month) Full access to the last 6 months 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 — US$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.

Bring Jane's world to life through family stories, artifacts, heritage.

Weekly stories, family heritage, memories, photos and artifacts

Join our members preserving Jane Austen's family legacy

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Caroline Jane Knight is Jane Austen's fifth great-niece and the last of Jane's nieces to grow up at Chawton House — the ancestral estate in Hampshire where Jane lived, wrote, and published her greatest novels. Caroline and her family are the last generation to have known Chawton House as a private family home.tion text goes here

  • Caroline is a direct descendant of Edward Austen Knight, Jane Austen's brother, who inherited Chawton House from the Knight family. Caroline grew up at Chawton House, sharing the same rooms, family traditions, heirlooms, and stories that Jane herself knew.

  • The Austen Knights of Chawton is Caroline's heritage preservation project — a comprehensive digital archive of family memories, photographs, oral histories, and heirloom documentation from the last generations to live at Chawton House. It is the most comprehensive record of Jane Austen family life at Chawton House ever assembled.

  • Yes — each June and July Caroline offers Chawton village tours and VIP day experiences, giving visitors a uniquely personal perspective on Jane Austen's world through the eyes of her family. Spaces are limited and available on selected days only.

  • Caroline shares weekly Jane Austen family stories — childhood memories, heirlooms, photographs and insights from the family archive — through her Jane Austen's Niece weekly stories publication. Free monthly updates are also available. Visit the Membership page to choose your level of involvement.