The Omen by John Galt & the City of Guelph
Maintaining a career that spans three decades, David J. Knight has dedicated his life to the idea of heritage. His commitment to the City of Guelph has transcended the borders of geography and time.
The writer and archaeologist began his secondary school education in 1979 at John F. Ross CVI in Guelph. During the summer of 1982, Knight found himself employed at the Canterbury Archaeological Trust in Kent, England.
His love for archaeology was nurtured during his subsequent summers in Kent, eventually leading to his decision to major in archaeology at the University of Guelph. It wasn’t until he discovered that the archaeology department had been eliminated that Knight decided to change his academic plans.
“I returned [from Kent] just before [enrolling] at the University of Guelph,” explained Knight. “As I was queuing to register, [while still jet-lagged from my flight] I learned that the Archaeology department had been scrapped. I stood there and thought, ‘Well, I’ve always been drawing and painting,’ so I went into Fine Art.”
Knight spent three years studying fine art at the University of Guelph, focusing on studio drawing. In 1985, Knight went to London, England for a semester exchange program, where he lived in the former Guelph House on Albert Street in Camden Town.
“I returned to Guelph for the summer semester and immediately engaged in music through performance and the band A Single Voice,” said Knight.
Knight’s interest in music would feed his literary and academic career. His thesis for his master’s in Philosophy, completed in 2010, would be on the Archaeoacoustics of the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy.
Following a small period of time working as a preparator at the Macdonald Stewart Art Centre, while also contributing to the Canterbury Archaeological Trust in the 1980s, Knight eventually immigrated to Great Britain, where he remained until his return to Guelph in 2011.
During his time in Britain, Knight worked at various archaeological trusts, while also finding time to publish his first book. King Lucius of Britain earned Knight the honour of being a celebrated Campus Author of the University of Guelph in 2008.
Knight’s return to Guelph in 2011 would begin his quest to maintain the heritage and nurture the legacy of his birth-city. Beyond heritage, however, the city kindled Knight’s fascination in Guelph’s development.
“Upon my return to Guelph in 2011, I was shocked at how a [structure] like the Petrie Building [downtown] still appeared to be neglected,” explained Knight. “[By] starting the Facebook group ‘Save the Petrie Building,’ I have become increasingly involved in how Guelph is developing.”
Knight’s return to Guelph would also reawaken an interest in Guelph-founder John Galt, a Scottish novelist, entrepreneur, and political and social commentator.
“My interest in John Galt began many years ago when I learned he had been a [traveling companion] of Lord Byron,” said Knight. “The more I read about Galt, [the more] I began to understand him as a [trans-media] artist.”
The connection between Galt and Lord Byron, the devotion that Byron showed towards Dante Alighieri’s work, and the fact that the White Guelph faction of Italy sheltered Dante all fueled Knight’s fascination with Galt.
“I discovered that while I had [been in Britain], the Italian city of Treviso requested that Guelph be made its sister city,” explained Knight. “Treviso has old history with the Guelph factions of the 15th century…I hope to develop some cross-cultural exchanges with that lovely city. This Guelph-Dante-Byron-Galt linkage fascinates me.”
According to work published by Galt, the name Guelph is dedicated to King George IV, whose family name was Gwelf. The Guelph name, however, is derived from the Florentine Guelphs, who supported the pope against the Holy Roman Emperor. During his exile, Dante gained protection from the White Guelphs in Ravenna.
Knight’s intense fascination with Galt eventually led the Canadian author to republish Galt’s novel, The Omen, in November of 2013. Knight believes that the gothic novel embodies Galt’s vision of the future when he set out for Canada.
“It’s the gothic novel upon which rests an echo of what [Galt] intended for his new settlement,” said Knight. “The choice of the name ‘Guelph’ has, I believe, as much to do with the obvious connection to the then British royal family as to the more Romantic association with Dante and Byron.”
Beyond his work preserving Guelph’s heritage and history, Knight’s love for archaeology has enabled him to view a side of life that few would consider. Ultimately, Knight’s most important legacy will be his commitment to the defence of heritage.
“I [have] to remember that Canada is still a very young country,” said Knight. “[Canada] is only now beginning to work out how to save, preserve, and invest in its heritage.”