William Knapman (4 December 1830 – 24 June 1908) was a hotel owner, brewer and businessman in the young colony of South Australia.
William Knapman was born in Devonshire, England, served an apprenticeship as a carpenter, and married on 9 October 1853, at St. Andrew's Church, Plymouth, Charlotte Bowden, daughter of a farmer of Christow, near Exeter.
In 1860, he leased George Coppin's "White Horse Cellars" hotel and theatre at the corner of Commercial Road and St. Vincent Street, Port Adelaide.
In 1895, having remarried after the death of Charlotte, he and his family moved to his residence "Canonteign" (perhaps named for Viscount Exmouth's mansion in Exeter, England)[2] at the corner of Cannon Street and The Minories, Port Adelaide, where he died in 1908, survived by his widow, four children (Alf and Samuel Knapman, "Polly" Wills and "Lottie" Ritchie), 22 grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.
He married again, in 1895 to Mary (c. 1851 – 29 October 1939), the widow of Thomas Barret Brown;[6] their residence was "Canonteign", corner of Cannon Street and The Minories, Port Adelaide.