] Yes, Sir William Lucas was a knight.

..to deduce what order of knighthood he might have been awarded?

If we assume he didn't rate the Garter or the Thistle, and the Guelfic Order wasn't available at the time of printing of P&P, does that mean he was a Knight of the Order of the Bath by default?

Next question that has been taxing my brain. Were knighthoods in JA's time regarded as highly as they are today? For example, let us look at contemporary Knights: Sir George Bush, Sir Ronald Reagan, Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Elton John, Sir Winston Churchill, Dame Margot Fonteyn, Dame Joan Sutherland, Dame Agatha Christie. Would Sir William Lucas for example have had to have the same public profile as these to obtain his knighthood? Or were they awarded far more easily in JA's time?