Knight, Samuel, D. D.

, an English antiquary and biographer, was a native of London (where his father was freje of the Mercers’ company), and received the early | part of his education at St. Paul’s school. He was thence admitted of Trinity college, Cambridge, where, having: taken his degree of B. A. in 1702, and of M. A. in 1706 he became chaplain to Edward earl of Orford, who presented him to the vicarage of Chippenham, and also to the rectory of Borough- green in Cambridgeshire, to which last he was instituted Nov. 3, 1707. He afterwards was collated by bishop Moore to a prebendal stall in the church of Ely, June 8, 1714 and presented by him to the rectory of Bluntesham in Huntingdonshire, June 22, 1717. He was made chaplain to George II. in Feb. 1730-1, and promoted by bishop Sherlock to the archdeaconry of Berks, 1735. He died December 10, 1746, in the 72d year of his age, and was buried in the chancel of Bluntesham church, where a neat monument of white marble is erected to his memory, with an inscription written by his friend Mr. Castle, dean of Hereford. His only son, Samuel, was fellow of Trinity college, Cambridge, and rector of Fulham, in Middlesex. With the ample fortune which his father left him, he purchased the manor of Milton near Cambridge, and died Jan. 1790.

Dr. Knight, whose attention appears to have been much directed to literary and ecclesiastical history, was an useful assistant to many authors of his time, and his assistance was acknowledged by Peck, Grey, Ward, and others. He had made collections for the lives of bishops Grosseteste, Overal, and Patrick. Whiston had the latter, which is probably in the hands of his grandson, Samuel Knight, esq. His own publications were the “Life of Erasmus,1724, 8vo, and of “Dean Colet,1726, 8vo. Neither of these are written with much animation or elegance, but they contain many curious and useful materials, and are now sold at very high prices, especially the Erasmus, on account of the numerous and well-engraven portraits and plates. 1

1

Bentham’s Ely. Nichols’s Bowyer. Cole’s ms Athenae in Brit. Mus. Peck’s Desiderata, preface, pp. xiv. and xvii. and work, p. 832.