The Knollys family, Knolles or Knowles (/noʊlz/), is an English noble family descended from Sir Thomas Knollys (died 1435), Lord Mayor of London, possibly a kinsman of the celebrated general Sir Robert Knolles. The next distinguished member of the family was Sir Francis Knollys or Knowles (c. 1514–1596), English statesman, son of Sir Robert Knollys, or Knolles (died 1521), a courtier in the service and favour of Henry VII and Henry VIII. Robert had also a younger son, Sir Henry, who took part in public life during the reign of Elizabeth I and who died in 1583. Lettice Knollys was pronounced the most prominent member of the family, from her birth in 1543 until her death in 1634.
From the time of Sir Francis, the family were associated with Greys Court at Rotherfield Greys and Caversham Park, then in Oxfordshire, as well as the nearby town of Reading in Berkshire. The family's private chapel could once be seen in St Laurence's Church in Reading, and Great Knollys Street in the town is named after them.