Henry Newton Knights

Henry Newton Knights MBE (1872 – 31 October 1959) was a British businessman and Conservative Party politician.

Knights, a resident of Dulwich in south east London, started an engineering business in 1908. In 1911 he purchased the Astbury Engineering Works, Peckham, as a going concern. During the First World War he manufactured Stokes bombs for the British Army. He was also active in the Volunteer Force, the home defence organisation, holding the rank of captain. He was awarded the MBE in the 1918 Birthday Honours. In 1918 he was one of the founding directors of the British And South African Insurance Corporation. In the following year the new company merged with the British and Australasian Insurance Company to form the Greater Britain Insurance Corporation, with Newton Knights as chairman. He resigned in March 1921.

He entered local politics, and was elected to Camberwell Borough Council as a member of the Conservative-backed Municipal Reform Party. He was mayor of Camberwell in 1913–1914.

He was co-opted on 15 October 1918 onto the London County Council by the Municipal Reform party to represent the Dulwich division of the Borough of Camberwell.

He held the office of Sheriff of the City of London in 1920 – 1921.

He was elected as a Coalition Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) for Camberwell North at the 1918 general election.

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