Block 10: Good Fortune by Becky Brown
for Edward Austen Knight
Edward Austen (1768-1852) Jane's brother,
who later took
the name Knight to inherit his father's cousin's estate.
Portrait by Ozias
Humphrey.
Jane’s brother Edward led a charmed life with a central plot twist popular in 19th-century novels.
The story begins with his father’s patron Thomas Knight, who left his estate to his son Thomas II. This distant cousin brought his new wife Catherine to visit the Austens. The Knights took a liking to 12-year-old Edward and he continued on the honeymoon trip, later visiting their estate Godmersham. A few years later, the childless Knights adopted Edward as their heir and he moved permanently to their manor house.
The story begins with his father’s patron Thomas Knight, who left his estate to his son Thomas II. This distant cousin brought his new wife Catherine to visit the Austens. The Knights took a liking to 12-year-old Edward and he continued on the honeymoon trip, later visiting their estate Godmersham. A few years later, the childless Knights adopted Edward as their heir and he moved permanently to their manor house.
Godmersham Park in Kent
Silhouette by William Wellings
The double-family portrait was commissioned by
Thomas Knight II in 1783 to commemorate
George Austen (left) handing Edward to
Catherine Knight (center) and Thomas (right.)
Jane was about eight when her brother left.
When Edward was in his mid-twenties his adoptive father died. Three
years later in 1797; Catherine Knatchbull Knight generously turned over the three estates and much of the fortune
to Edward. He was also generous with his good fortune, providing an income for his
widowed mother’s household and eventually giving them a brick cottage on the Chawton estate.
Edward's three estates were Godmersham Park, Steventon and Chawton House.
The most impressive house, Godmersham Park in Kent
Sketch from memory by Julia LeFroy
Edward had the house demolished after flooding in 1823.
Steventon in Hampshire, the village and the parsonage where
the Austen family lived,
And his lesser manor house, Chawton House in Hampshire,
Plus the lands and the rents from the tenant farmers and villagers.
Good Fortune by Bettina Havig
Edward married the Hon. Elizabeth Bridges, daughter of Sir
Brook William Bridges, 3rd Baronet of Goodnestone. In 1808 Elizabeth
died after the birth of her eleventh child. Edward
enlisted his sisters and mother to help him raise his children and Jane and
Cassandra spent much time with Edward’s family. Edward outlived both his
sisters, dying at 85 in 1852.
Good Fortune by Becky Brown
BlockBase #1184
Good Fortune was given the name by Clara Stone who published a pattern catalog in Massachusetts about 1910.
Cutting a
12" Finished Block
You need 8 triangles.
B - Cut 4 squares 4-7/8" x 4-7/8". Cut each in half diagonally to make 2 triangles.
You need 8 of the larger triangles.
C - Cut 4 rectangles 3-3/8" x 6-1/8".
Sewing:
Good Fortune by Georgann Eglinski
Good Fortune by Dustin Cecil
Re Edward ' s good fortune, truth is stranger than fiction. The fortuitous bestowal of great wealth could have been a recipe for dissolution and disaster. It seems in real life, it all worked out perfectly and Edward never forgot his humbler roots. Fascinating.
ReplyDeleteGood fortune for sure! But: "eleventh child" !!
ReplyDeleteA number of factual, historical, grammatical AND quilting related mistakes, along with romantic assumptions, creates distrust to the entire content of the blog that otherwise could be a joy to immerse into.
ReplyDelete''The Knights took a liking to 12-year-old Edward and he continued on the honeymoon trip...''
Not proofread, written willy-nilly in an incongruous manner - all point to the lack of interest in the subject and competence