Lincolnshire, and took pupils. He proceeded M.A. in 1786. In 1794 he was presented to the vicarage of Humberstone, Lincolnshire, but continued to reside at Wintringham, where he received pupils into his house, and became also curate of Roxby, a neighbouring village. In 1798 he obtained the perpetual curacy of Holy Trinity, Halifax, being the first to fill that office, and removed thither with his pupils. In December 1817 he was instituted to the vicarage of Halifax. He died on 7 Jan. 1827. Knight was author of: 1. ‘Forms of Prayer,’ 12mo, York, 1791, which passed through sixteen editions during his lifetime. 2. ‘On Confirmation,’ 12mo, York, 1800 (four editions). His ‘Sermons and Miscellaneous Works,’ 2 vols. 8vo, Halifax, 1828, were edited by his son James (see below), with a memoir by another son, the Rev. William Knight. Prefixed is his portrait, engraved by W. T. Fry.
The son, James Knight (1793–1863), was scholar of Lincoln College, Oxford, from 1812 to 1815, graduated B.A. 1814, and proceeded M.A. 1817. He was appointed perpetual curate of St. Paul's Church, Sheffield, in 1824, and resigned the living in 1860. He died at Barton-on-Humber 30 Aug. 1863. He wrote: 1. ‘Discourses on the principal Parables of Our Lord,’ 1829. 2. ‘Discourses on the principal Miracles of Our Lord,’ 1831. 3. ‘Discourses on the Lord's Prayer,’ 1832. 4. ‘A Concise Treatise on the Truth and Importance of the Christian Religion.’
[Memoir referred to; Gent. Mag. 1827 i. 282, 1863 ii. 515, 660; Darling's Cycl. Bibl. 1741; Foster's Alumni Oxon.]
KNIGHT, THOMAS (d. 1820), actor and dramatist, was born in Dorset of a family of more consideration than means. He was intended for the bar, and received from Charles Macklin [q. v.] the actor lessons in elocution. A favourite with Macklin, he accompanied him to the theatre, acquiring in his visits tastes which led him to adopt the stage as a profession. At an unrecorded date he appeared at the Richmond Theatre in Charles Surface, and failed conspicuously. He then joined Austin's company at Lancaster. Before leaving London he tried vainly to force upon Macklin a remuneration for his services as a teacher. Tate Wilkinson saw Knight, it is said, in Edinburgh, and engaged him for the York circuit. His first appearance was made in York in 1782 as Lothario to the Calista of Mrs. Jordan. Wilkinson, who was greatly disappointed with him, advised him to quit the stage, but Knight struggled on, playing Charles Oakley, Spatterdash in the ‘Young Quaker,’ Carbine in the ‘Fair American,’ &c., and gradually grew in public favour. Wilkinson generously acknowledged the error of his former judgment, and during the five years in which Knight remained with the company he took the lead, and had only one quarrel with the management. Finding his name as Twineall in ‘Such things are’ put third on the list, the customary place for the character, he insisted on its place being first, and being refused did not appear. On 27 Oct. 1787 he played at the Bath Theatre as the Copper Captain. Spatterdash, Ramilie in the ‘Miser,’ Duke of Monmouth in ‘Such things were,’ and Marquis in the ‘Midnight Hour’ followed.
In 1787 Knight married at Bath Margaret Farren, sister of the Countess of Derby [see Farren, Elizabeth]. She had been seen at an early age in London, having played at the Haymarket, as Miss Peggy Farren, Titania in the ‘Fairy Tale,’ a two-act adaptation of the ‘Midsummer Night's Dream,’ 18 June 1777. She joined Wilkinson in 1782; left him to act in Scotland and Ireland; and rejoined him in 1786. In that year she played with Knight in York, where she was a favourite, and followed him by arrangement to Bath for their wedding. Soon afterwards she made her first appearance there as Miss Peggy in the ‘Country Girl’ to her husband's Sparkish. In the course of the same season Knight acted thirty characters, among which Touchstone, Trappanti, Claudio in ‘Measure for Measure,’ Trim in the ‘Funeral,’ Sir Charles Racket, and Pendragon may be mentioned. In Bath, as at Bristol, which was under the same management, he played during the nine years of his engagement an endless variety of comic parts—Charles Surface, Antonio in ‘Follies of a Day,’ Clown in ‘All's well that ends well,’ Mercutio, Duretête, Goldfinch, Dromio of Ephesus, Pistol, and Autolycus being among the most easily recognisable.
Knight's first appearance at Covent Garden took place on 25 Sept. 1795 as Jacob in the ‘Chapter of Accidents’ (when his wife played Bridget) and Skirmish in the ‘Deserter.’ Knight was seen in an endless number of parts at Covent Garden. The most important are Sim in ‘Wild Oats,’ Hodge, Bob Acres, Slender in ‘Merry Wives of Windsor,’ Roderigo, Gratiano, Dick Dowlas, Sir Benjamin Backbite, Tony Lumpkin, Sergeant Kite in the ‘Recruiting Officer,’ Sir Andrew Aguecheek, Touchstone, and Lucio in ‘Measure for Measure.’ His original parts included Young Testy in Holman's ‘Abroad and at Home,’ Count Cassel in Mrs. Inchbald's adaptation, ‘Lovers' Vows,’ Changeable in Thomas Dibdin's ‘Jew and the Doctor,’ Farmer Ashfield in Morton's ‘Speed
