THE AUSTEN KNIGHTS OF CHAWTON—A FAMILY ARCHIVE

Preserving the last living memories of Jane Austen's family at Chawton House

If you are ready to support Austen family heritage preservation, click on your preferred option. Otherwise, scroll down for more information about the archive and how you can get involved.

Before they are lost forever

My parents, brother, aunts, uncles, cousins and I — the last generations of Austen family descendants to have lived at Chawton House — hold memories, stories, artifacts and insights that exist nowhere else on earth. This is not academic research or institutional history — it is Jane Austen's family telling our own story, in our own words, while we still can. When our generation is gone, this unique perspective disappears forever — unless it's preserved now.

The Austen Knights of Chawton — A Family Archive is for Janeites devoted to Jane Austen's untold family stories, memories and secrets from her Chawton home, for historians and researchers studying the Austen-Knight family and Chawton House, and for anyone curious about how Jane Austen's family truly lived — from the daily life of a great English estate to its final decades as a family home, its restoration, and continued Knight family ownership today.

Photographs and Memories

Recorded Oral Histories

Family Stories and Traditions

Heirlooms and Provenance

Why This Matters

Chawton is the heart of Jane Austen's literary legacy. Jane arrived in Chawton at the age of 33, an unpublished author. It was from her Chawton home that Jane enjoyed the most productive period of her writing career — writing, revising, and completing her six novels, and publishing four of them.

Jane Austen's family — my family — lived at Chawton House until 1988. Inherited by Jane’s brother Edward, on condition he change his surname to Knight, Chawton House is no longer the residential home of Edward’s descendants. Through vision and determination, Chawton House was restored and is now open to the public, loved by visitors from around the world — and the freehold remains in Knight family ownership to this day.

As the last generations to live at Chawton House as a family home, we are the keepers of irreplaceable knowledge that serves three distinct purposes:

The Most Comprehensive Record of Life at Chawton House

Personal, first-hand accounts of how the Austen branch of the Knight family lived at Chawton House across multiple generations — from daily routines and family traditions to the household, estate and village life. Through oral recordings, photographs, and documented memories, this will be the most comprehensive multi-generational record of life at Chawton House in existence.

The Historical Record of Jane Austen's Family in Chawton

Vital context for understanding of the lived experience of Jane Austen’s family at Chawton in the 20th century and beyond — the decisions made, the changes witnessed, the stories passed down through generations. Documentation that institutional archives and historical records cannot capture.

A Unique Window into English Country House History

The family's perspective on the final decades of a great ancestral estate. As the last generations to live at Chawton House as a family home, we hold irreplaceable first-hand knowledge of stewarding a centuries-old estate through financial pressures, practical decline, and inevitable change — a broader window into English heritage and social history that extends far beyond Jane Austen's story alone.

This heritage is time-sensitive. Without preservation now, these stories, insights, and connections will be lost to history.

This heritage is irreplaceable. No scholar, historian, or institution can provide what only Jane's Chawton family knows.

This heritage belongs to the world. Jane Austen's legacy touches millions — your support ensures her family's authentic story survives.

What Your Support Makes Possible

Sustaining Members and Founding Members enable me to work on this critical heritage mission:

Documentation & Archiving
Digitising family photographs from multiple generations, recording oral histories with parents, brother, aunts, uncles, and cousins while we're still here, documenting family stories and memories across our generation before they're lost, and creating the most comprehensive multi-generational archive possible for future researchers, history and Austen lovers.

Making the Archive Accessible
Developing digital exhibitions and public access to the archive, creating opportunities for researchers, Janeites and historians to engage with the materials, and sharing the archive's stories and discoveries with the wider world.

Ongoing Research & Storytelling
Researching family archives, gathering memories from multiple family voices, verifying historical details across generations, and creating stories and content that bring Jane Austen's untold family memories, stories and secrets to life — past and present.

Sharing Our Collections
Developing exhibitions of family artifacts, heirlooms, and collections, creating opportunities for the public to experience Jane's world through authentic family pieces, and making our heritage accessible beyond my immediate circle.

Your support gives us the opportunity to do this work properly — preserving our heritage with care and attention, rather than letting stories slip away.

My grandparents Edward Knight III, Edward Austen’s great great grandson and the 15th owner of Chawton House, and Elizabeth

How you can be involved

There are two ways to become a heritage supporter of The Austen Knights of Chawton — A Family Archive. Sustaining Members support the preservation of Jane Austen’s family heritage and Founding Members collaborate on the creation of the archive.

Both make a direct and meaningful contribution to ensuring Jane Austen's family heritage is preserved for future generations.

SUSTAINING MEMBERS

Preserve Jane Austen's family heritage for future generations

Sustaining Members are a select group of heritage supporters who make this critical preservation work possible. Your support directly enables the documentation, archiving, and sharing of Jane Austen's authentic family legacy for researchers, Janeites, and future generations.

You are becoming a partner in cultural preservation, ensuring that Jane's authentic family story survives and thrives beyond my lifetime.

US$250/year (or your currency equivalent)

What you receive:

  • Annual Chawton gathering each June (private experience during Jane Austen Regency Week)

  • Annual virtual event with family insights and Q&A about Jane Austen and Chawton House

  • Recognition as heritage supporter in annual Austen Heritage report

  • Priority access and 15% discount to new experiences and exhibitions

  • Full access to my Jane Austen’s Niece Weekly Stories with no paywalls, and unrestricted access to the last six months of stories.

"As a lifelong Janeite, I thought I understood Jane Austen. Then I discovered Caroline and realized I was missing the living family perspective. I don't just learn about Jane—I feel connected to her through her family and proud to support the preservation of their heritage."

— Erna A., Sustaining Member

FOUNDING MEMBERS

Collaborate on creating The Austen Knights of Chawton: A Family Archive

Founding Members are a select group working alongside Jane Austen's family to shape how this important cultural heritage archive is created. This isn't a higher tier of benefits—it's a fundamentally different relationship.

No special skills required. Founding Members bring diverse perspectives—from passionate Janeites to professionals in various fields to everyday readers who simply care deeply about preserving Jane Austen family heritage. What matters is your enthusiasm for this work and willingness to provide thoughtful input as the archive develops.

Starting at US$1000 for two years (or your currency equivalent)

What Founding Members do:

As a Founding Member, you become a sounding board — when you are available and wish to be involved, not as an obligation — on decisions about how the archive is created and how exhibitions are developed. You are also invited to be among the first readers of new materials and exhibitions, providing feedback before they are shared more widely.

These are not decision-making roles. The family retains final say on everything. But the input of people who care deeply about this heritage is invaluable in helping make the right decisions.

What Founding Members receive:

  • Everything in Sustaining Membership — annual Chawton gathering, virtual event, heritage recognition, priority access, 15% discount, and full weekly stories access

  • The opportunity to work directly alongside Jane Austen's family

  • Behind the scenes access to archive materials as they are created

  • The knowledge that you are part of creating this important heritage archive — the most comprehensive multi-generational record of life at Chawton House ever assembled

This is meaningful work, not just premium access.

If you are interested in becoming a Founding Member, I would love to hear from you.

"As the last generations to call Chawton House home, we carry memories that will vanish when we're gone. Having people who care enough to help preserve our family's story—asking the right questions and ensuring we document what truly matters—is a tremendous support to Caroline in this work. This archive isn't just about the past. It's our gift to future generations who'll never have the chance to know Chawton as we did."

— Jeremy Knight, Caroline's father

Annual Heritage Report

Sharing Our Progress

Each February, all Sustaining and Founding Members receive our annual report highlighting:

  • Heritage preservation milestones achieved

  • Family stories and memories documented

  • Family interviews conducted and oral histories recorded

  • Photographs digitised and catalogued for the archive

  • Exhibitions and speaking engagements completed

  • Looking ahead to the year's preservation priorities

You'll see exactly how your support contributes to preserving Jane's family legacy — what we've accomplished together, what's underway, and what's ahead. This work is purposeful, mission-driven, and worth sharing.

All paid members — Subscribers, Sustaining and Founding — receive our annual report. Sustaining and Founding Members are recognised by name as heritage supporters in each annual report.

Help preserve Jane Austen's family heritage for future generations:

Frequently Asked Questions

  • The Austen Knights of Chawton is a comprehensive digital archive documenting multi-generational memories, photographs, and family stories from the last generations to live at Chawton House. It's the most complete record of daily life at Jane Austen's family estate ever assembled, preserving Jane Austen’s family heritage for future generations.

  • Sustaining Members support the heritage preservation work financially and receive meaningful benefits in return — annual gatherings in Chawton, virtual events, heritage recognition, priority access, and a discount on experiences. Founding Members have a fundamentally different relationship — they work directly alongside Jane Austen's family as the archive is created, as sounding board and first readers of new materials. Both make a vital contribution to preserving Jane Austen's family heritage for future generations.

  • The annual virtual event ensures all Sustaining and Founding Members worldwide can connect with each other and Caroline directly to discuss Jane Austen and Chawton House. The June gathering is a wonderful bonus for those who can attend, but not the only exclusive benefit or opportunity to connect with Caroline and her family.

  • Sustaining and Founding Membership is not tax-deductible. You are supporting the private preservation work of Jane Austen's family.

  • Yes! Membership makes a meaningful gift for the Janeite in your life. Contact caroline@austenheritage.com to arrange a gift membership with beautiful presentation.

  • Simply email me at caroline@austenheritage.com and I will be in touch personally to tell you more about the Founding Membership and welcome you into the archive project.

  • If you have any questions about Sustaining or Founding Membership, or the heritage preservation work, I would be delighted to hear from you. Email caroline@austenheritage.com