Ernest Richard Knott [also known as Ernest R. Knott] was born in Sturminster Newton, Dorset, England on 17 January 1894. His occupation was given as Architect's Apprentice in the 1911 Census for England and Wales, however, it is not known where or with whom he trained. In the 1920s he was in partnership with Clement John Picton (1889-1956). A design for a house by them won third prize in The "Daily Mail" Ideal Houses Competition for Architects in 1927.
Knott was elected a Licentiate of the Royal Institute of British Architects (LRIBA) in 1925. His address was given as Market Place Sturminster Newton, Dorset in 1911; 1 Hillshott Letchworth, Hertfordshire in 1927; and 74 Lytton Avenue, Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire 1939. .
In 1959 he left England for Beira, Mozambique. He subsequently moved to South Africa where he died in 1976