INTRODUCTION

Caroline is the fifth great niece of Jane Austen, and is the last of Jane’s nieces to grow up in Chawton House, in the South of England, on the family’s ancestral estates where Jane herself lived, wrote and published her most famous works. Caroline shared the same family traditions as Jane, the same walks, rooms, furniture and family library – they even ate from the same Wedgwood dinner service.

Caroline and her family had to leave the ancestral home in Chawton when she was 18 years old. Her grandfather, Edward Knight III, the 15th Squire of Chawton, passed away and the family were unable to keep the house as a home, ending 400 years of history.

Following a childhood steeped in centuries of Austen Knight family tradition and inspired by her great aunt Jane’s legacy, Caroline was determined to be independent and forged a successful career in business and social entrepreneurship. Caroline moved to Australia in 2008 to become CEO of a large marketing agency and also served as a board director for Life Education Victoria and AIM. In 2012, Caroline was a finalist in the Telstra Businesswoman of the Year Awards and the same year was made an honourary Life Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management. In 2013 Caroline started her own retail marketing and communications consultancy business, and launched the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation a year later.

Caroline published her memoir Jane & Me: My Austen Heritage in 2017 to share her extraordinary story, and speaks at Jane Austen, literacy and business events around the world. Caroline is also Patron of Jane Austen Regency Week, an annual 9 day festival held in Chawton and Alton.