Knight's marriageOn the 3rd of June, 1856, Knight was married at the Parish Church, Leeds, to Rachel, younger daughter of John Wilkinson, of Gledhow Mount, near Leeds. He remained at Leeds until 1860, when he left for London. Although then just over thirty, he came full of the assurance of youth, and he often laughingly told his friend Mr. W. L. Courtney that he then "felt capable of either editing The Times or commanding the Channel Fleet." However, it was not long before he was "found out," and he almost at once began writing for The Literary Gazette, then under the direction of John Morley.
J. A. Heraud.Joseph Knight succeeded John Abraham Heraud as dramatic critic of The Athenæum. Edmund Yates describes Heraud as "the long-haired epic poet," and as one of the theatrical critics he knew by sight, and says he "used to sit gaping at them with wonder and admiration." When Carlyle first came to London in 1834, Heraud lived in Ampton Street, close by Carlyle, who describes him as being exceedingly kedge about me, anxious beyond measure for golden opinions of his God-dedicated Epic of which I would not tell him any lie, greatly as he tempted me." Heraud was for a time assistant editor of Fraser; he also contributed to The Quarterly, and was dramatic critic of The Illustrated London News for thirty years. When he retired from The Athenæum the proprietors gave him a pension, and many a pleasant chat I have enjoyed with him when he came to receive it. He often spoke of the Carlyles and of his going with them over the house in Cheyne Row which they afterwards took, and where they lived for the remainder of their lives.
Heraud became a Charterhouse brother in 1873, and died there in 1887. He was eighty-eight years of age, and had survived all his friends. I was the only one from the outside world to follow his remains to the grave in St. Pancras Cemetery on a stormy afternoon in March. Of his daughter Edith he was very proud; her impersonations of Shakespearian characters are thought by many to have been extremely fine.
DRAMATIC CRITIC OF 'THE ATHENÆUM.'
Knight as dramatic critic.Knight's first contribution to The Athenæum was printed on the 25th of September, 1869. In those days the musical and dramatic gossip appeared together, so we have paragraphs from Chorley interspersed with those of Knight. Knight at once, with the greatest energy, supplied the paper with every detail of interest in his department, and we find in its pages a record of the drama of the day. During the last three months of 1869 it is mentioned that a new theatre is to be erected on the site of the Bentinck Club. 'The Octoroon' is being played at the Royal Alfred Theatre,
