Jane Austen’s brother adopted the surname Knight after being taken in by the wealthy, childless couple Thomas and Catherine Knight. Born Edward Austen in 1767, he became their legal heir after they took a special interest in him when he was about twelve years old.
The Knights financed Edward’s education and sent him on a Grand Tour of Europe when he was eighteen. Thomas Knight died in 1794, leaving Catherine with control of the family property during her lifetime. Edward eventually inherited estates connected with Steventon, Chawton and Godmersham, making him an important landowner and giving Jane Austen access to several grand houses and libraries.
In 1812, Edward legally changed his name to Knight because Catherine Knight’s will required it. He thereafter became Edward Austen Knight. His inheritance also shaped Jane Austen’s life: he provided their mother and sisters with a cottage at Chawton, where Jane lived and wrote during the most productive final years of her career. The name change was therefore tied to inheritance law, not a simple change of personal preference.