Old Ashburton

John Knowles was a shipwright at the Royal Deptford Dockyard, Kent, in the 1780s.

John Knowles jnr. was chief clerk in the surveyor's department of the Navy Office between 1806 and 1832 - Sir Robert Seppings was Surveyor of the Navy at this time, and the two men were good friends. When Seppings was pushed from office in 1831, Knowles resigned.

Knowles published various naval works, including the publication of The Elements and Practice of Naval Architecture, a third edition of a book first written in 1805 by David Steel.

A correspondent to The Monthly Magazine, who commented on one of Knowles' works (presumably the one above), received this reply from Knowles: 'A correspondent who signs "Fact" in your last month's magazine, has taken the title of a work which I have lately published, on the present method of constructing ships, as practised by Sir Robert Seppings, as a text, for the purposes of abusing the inventor, and of conveying to your readers the notion, that all the improvements which he has introduced are due to the ingenuity of others. It is pretty evident that he has only read the title of the work in question; for if he had perused the book, he would most probably have saved himself the trouble of writing...'

In 1896 T W Windeatt, a great nephew of John Knowles, gave an account of his life to the Devonshire Association. According to Mr. Windeatt the Knowles family had a strong connection to the Royal Navy, with an uncle of John, Rear-Admiral Charles Knowles, being created a baronet in the early 1700s for 'distinguished naval services.'
In 1805 he met Henry Fuseli, keeper and professor of painting at the Royal Academy. They became friends, and John was appointed his executor on Henry Fuseli's death in 1825. Through his love of paintings Knowles acquired a 'large and valuable' collection, a few of which the family, including Mr. Windeatt, still owned.

John Knowles, F.R.S. [1781-1841, buried Ashburton], T W Windeatt The Transactions of the Devonshire Association 1896 vol 28 p338ff. Available through Google at https://archive.org

http://www.racollection.org.uk - Accessed 26-04-2015

In 1831 John published a book in 3 volumes on the life and writings of Henry Fuseli MARA. The Edinburgh Review commented: 'His literary correspondence was not extensive, nor does he seem to have indulged much in the description of his own feelings and expressions....But though the account of his life will not add much to our acquaintance with his inner man, still it contributes something...' 
However, Knowles became best known for a work on the prevention of dry rot in ships, a major problem when ocean vessels were made of wood. 'An inquiry into the means which have been taken to preserve the British Navy from the earliest period to the present time, paritcularly from the species of decay now denominated dry-rot' resulted in him being made FRS (Fellow of the Royal Society), and he received many gifts from European royalty, including gold snuff boxes, gold medals and a diamond ring.
An early member of the Athenaeum club, his portrait was drawn by Charles Landseer, and a marble bust was made of him by W. Behnes. Canon Knowles, a nephew of John, owned the portrait at the time Mr. Windeatt was writing; the widow of another nephew, Mrs. Knowles of Highweek, owned the bust. 

After leaving the Navy Office, then at Somerset House, John Knowles became the managing director of the Economic Life Assurance Office at Blackfriars.
According to Mr. Windeatt, John Knowles moved to Ashburton later in life, where one of his brothers, Samuel, already lived.

T W Windeatt, op cit.

In July 1841 John Knowles FRS, died at Ashburton aged 60. He was a corresponding member of the Philosophical Society at Rotterdam.
Western Times 31 July 1841 p2 col5

By October a tenant was being sought for his house in East Street, which had a 'large and well-stocked garden' - Mr. Knowles had particulars for potential applicants.
In November H. Creagh was advertising a sale on the premises of the late Mr. Knowles. The sale included more than 100 dozen bottles of wine, including champagne, claret, hock, madeira and sherry, and his book collection of about 1000 volumes included works on ship-building and 'nautical affairs'. Other items in the sale were plate, china, linen and feather beds.
Exeter and Plymouth Gazette 2 October 1841 p2 col3
Western Times 13 November 1841 p2 col3

A monument to John Knowles was erected in St. Andrew's Church, 'over the pew which the Knowles family used to occupy.'
T W Windeatt, op cit.

Other members of the Knowles family:

Sir Charles Knowles 1st baronet, who became a full admiral in 1770 before entering the Russian Service of Catherine the Great, 1770 - 1774. He died on 9 December 1777 in London.

His son, Charles Henry, 2nd baronet, was born at Kingston, Jamaica, 1754, where his father was governor for a time.He also entered the navy and rose to become a full admiral. He died in 1831.