Surname origin
Old English cnight 'servant', 'knight', feudal tenant bound to serve as a mounted soldier', 'a common soldier'.
Henry le Nyte
1327 Subsidy Roll Sussex.
A Dictionary of English Surnames by P H Reaney. OUP revised third edition 1997. 019860092-5.

Thomas KNIGHT (c.1742 -1808) of Bury farmer aged 29 married Mary SOALL(1750 - 1796) on the 30th April 1771 Sutton, by Licence. They had children:-
• William (1771 - liv 1808)
• John(1773 - 1855) = Anne EEDE (1775 - 1856)
  
  • Anne (1795 - 1856) = Thomas BATEMAN (c.1789 - 1852)
  • Thomas (1797 - 1844) = (1) Mary AYLING (c.1800 - 1840) = (2) Harriet MEADS (c.1808 - )
    • (1) Elizabeth (1819 - 1854) (1) = John PARSONS (c.1821 - ) = (2) Jane HUGHES
    • (1) William (1821)x
    • (1) Thomas (1822 - 1840)
    • (1) John (1827 - 1895?) = Ellen JUDEN (1837 - )
      • Alice (1866 - ) =
      • Frederick (1868 - ) =
      • Harriet (1870 - ) =
      • Elizabeth (1872 - ) =
      • Annie (1875 - ) =
    • (1) Ann (1829 - 1914) = George WEST (1824 - 1904)
      • Mary Ann WEST (1858 - 1887) = George COOPER (1861-1941)
        • Mary Ann COOPER (1887 - 1975) = Arthur Henry FITT (1890 - 1954)
          • Irene FITT = Alfred John William COX
    • (1) Mary (c.1831 - ?)
    • (1) Edmund (1834 - 1924) = Charlotte HILL (c.1840 - 1897)
      • Thomas (1861 - ) = Rosa JOHNSON (c.1859 - 1939)
        • Ernest (1887 - 1913)
        • Winifred (1888 - )
        • Harold (1889 - )
      • Edward (1862 - 1936)
      • Nora (1873 - 1938)
    • (1) Edward (1837 - 1838)x
    • (2) Jane (1843)X
  • Sarah (1799 - 1815)
  • Mary (1802 - ) = Thomas CAPLIN (c.1806 - )
  • Edward (1804-1890) = (1) Louisa DUKE (1808-1854) = (2) Mary Ann COBBY (c.1823-)
    • (1) Elizabeth (1828 - 1859)
    • (1) John (1830 - 1843)
    • (1) George (1830 - ) = Ann SHEPPARD (c.1823 - )
    • (1) Frances (1833 - )
    • (1) Mary (1836 - ) = John GREEN (c.1836 - )
    • (1) Edward (1837 - 1867)
    • (1) Eliza (1840 - 1853)
    • (1) Emma (1841 - )
    • (1) Emily (1842 - 1856)
    • (1) David (1844 - ) = Lucy LEGGATT
    • (1) Luke (1847 - ) = Susanna KEEPING
    • (2) Richard Cobby (c.1862 - ) - Fanny GREEN (1888 - )
  • Edmond (1804 - 1890) = Mary CONSTANTINE (1796 - 1876)
    • Ann (1826 - )
    • Jane (1828 - 1869) = Henry MUSTCHIN (c.1819 -1882)
    • Emma (1834 - 1887)
    • Charles (1837 - )
    • John (c.1840 - 1843)X
    • James (1841 - 1912) = Mary Ann ? (c.1846 - 1902)
      • Edmund (c.1866 -)
  • Keziah (1806 - ) = William WARNES (c.1805 - )
  • Richard (1809 - 1874) = (1) Jane GARDNER (1813- 1862) = (2) Mary Ann PAYNE
    • (1) Eliza (1834 - 1848)
    • (1) George (1836 - )
    • (1) Sarah (1838 - ) = (1) Henry FRANCIS (1833 - ) = (2) John RICHARDS (1829 - 1829)
    • (1) Jane (1840 -
    • (1) Hugh (1842 - )
    • (1) Edward (1845 - )
  • John (1812 - ) = Jane GREEN (c.1813 - 1862)
    • Ann (1835 - )
    • Henry (1838 - 1859)
    • Thomas (1840 - )
    • Matthew (1842 - )
    • Hesekia (1846 - )
    • Edward (1847 - )
    • Sarah (1850 - )
  • Frances (1814 - ) = Thomas HILLS
• Thomas (1775 - 1780)
• James (1777 - <1808) = ?
  • Robert
• Sarah (1780 - 1842) = Richard TALMY (c.1748 - 1820)
• Richard (1782 - 1856) = Sarah COBBY (c.1782 - 1838)
• Edward (1785 - )
• George (1787 - ) = Sarah 'Sally' TERRY
  • George (1813 - )
  • Mary Ann (1817 - )
  • Charlotte (1821 - )
  • Sarah (1825 - )
• Charles (1788 - liv 1808)

From his age on death Thomas was born about 1742.
There is no suitable baptism at Bury, but a Thomas KNIGHT and Ann were baptising from 1746 onwards.
There is a suitable baptism of Thomas son of Thomas and Ann KNIGHT in Billingshurst in 1742