James Knott (1855 - 1934)

Sir James Knott was a shipping magnate and later a Member of Parliament for Tyneside and then Sunderland. Knott was born on the 31st January 1855, at Howdon on Tyne. He left school at 14 to start work as a shipping clerk on Newcastle Quayside and by 19 became an independent shipbroker. In 1878 he became part owner of his first ship, a collier called 'Pearl', and by 1886 owned a fleet of 17 steam ships. In 1895 Knott set up the Prince Line, which went on to became the third largest shipping line in the world, with 45 ships, most of which were built in Tyne and Wear shipyards.

James Knott and his family went on to live in Close House near Wylam, and also owned an estate in Jersey. In later life, Knott pursued philanthropic interests. In 1925 the Memorial Park at Heddon-on-the-Wall, Northumberland, was created in memory of two of his sons who died in the First World War; St James and St Basil Church built in Fenham in 1931 was named after them. His surviving son, Garbutt Knott built the Knott Memorial Hall at Heddon, in memory of his parents, after James Knott died in 1934. The Sir James Knott Trust continues to carry on philanthropic activities in the North East. In 1938 the Trust provided funds to build the Knott Memorial Flats and Nursery School in North Shields.