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GARDINER MANOR 
 
THE GARDINER MANOR 
 
 ADDRESS DELIVERED AT THE THIRD ANNUAL 
 MEETING OF THE NEW YORK BRANCH 
 
 OF 
 
 THE ORDER OF COLONIAL LORDS OF 
 
 MANORS IN AMERICA. I '-^r^M/j^cL'-^u. 
 
 HELD IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK 
 APRIL 24, 1915 
 
 BY 
 
 SARAH GARDINER TYLER 
 
 II 
 
 BALTIMORE 
 1916 
 
 Monograph 
 

Ladies and Gentlemen: 
 
 When our President, Mr. Livingston, wrote that he would 
 like to have me tell you something about the Manor of Gardi- 
 ner's Island, I felt that I had a difficult task; but when he said 
 the time limit would be fifteen minutes, I felt that to put the 
 two hundred and seventy-nine years of its history into that 
 short time would be impossible. However, I will do my best. 
 
 I have referred for dates, etc., to articles written by Mrs. 
 Martha J. Lamb, Mr. George Parsons Lathrop, and others. 
 
 The first English settlement in the present limits of the 
 State of New York was made by Lion Gardiner, by the pur- 
 chase from the Indians, of an island now known as Gardiner's 
 Island. It was nine miles long by one to one and a half wide, 
 and contained 3500 acres. This purchase was duly confirmed 
 by the agent of Lord Sterhng, March 10, 1639. Gardiner's 
 Island was not only a manor, but was, also, a lordship, for the 
 terms of Governor Dongan's Grant, in 1686, were "To erect 
 and constitute the said island one lordship and manor, to all 
 intents and purposes. The said island shall henceforth be 
 called the 'Lordship and Manor of Gardiner's Island.' " This 
 island has been longer in the possession of one family than 
 any other individual estate on this continent, having had twelve 
 proprietors in direct line, to the present owner. 
 
 Lion Gardiner was the first professional engineer who ever 
 stood on the soil of New England. He was born in 1599, 
 316 years ago. Many of the family of Gardiner and Lion 
 are buried in the cathedral at Norfolk, England. 
 
 The same coats of arms used by the Gardiners of Gardiner's 
 Island are on the pavements, and tombs in this cathedral. 
 His family has been traced by Sir Christopher Banks to the 
 Gardiner who married one of the co-heiresses of the Barony of 
 Fitz Walter. 
 
 The arms are identical with those formerly borne by Thomas 
 Gardiner prior, of the monastery, of Tynemouth, England, 
 in the year 1200. 
 
 Lion Gardiner was Lieutenant in a regiment, of which Lord 
 Vere was Commander, and with him, went to Holland. While 
 Lion Gardiner was serving under the Dutch flag, he was in 
 
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constant and familiar intercourse with Hugh Peters the emi- 
 nent Divine, Reverend John Davenport, and other Protestants, 
 who had found an asylum in Rotterdam. They urged Gardi- 
 ner to accept a position offered him by a number of notables, 
 in making a settlement at the mouth of the Connecticut River. 
 The leaders of the enterprise included Oliver Cromwell, John 
 Hamden, Sir Matthew Boynton, Sir Richard Saltonstall, Sir 
 Arthur Heslerigge, Lord Say and Sele, Lord Brook, afterward 
 the Earl of Warwick, and Colonel George Fenwick. They 
 not only made choice of a Governor, but had employed Lion 
 Gardiner, as a competent Engineer, to precede them to America 
 "for drawing, ordering, and making of a city, towns, and forts 
 of defence." "The site of a city, and castles, and palaces, to 
 be rendered suitable for the reception of men of quality," 
 had already been selected, at the mouth of the Connecticut 
 River. Lion Gardiner was to be engineer, architect, and 
 builder, and was to have three hundred able bodied men under 
 his control. Two hundred as a garrison, fifty to till the ground, 
 and fifty to build houses. He was employed to command 
 the post four years, supphes to be forwarded from England, 
 as the work advanced, an important trust in connection, of 
 beginning an empire, in a new world. The inference is that 
 Gardiner was known to possess the requisite qualifications. 
 His education was exceptional for the period, and his taste 
 for mathematics had resulted in the study of civil, and military 
 engineering; he had been in the English Army, as an officer, 
 under Sir Thomas Fairfax, seeing much active service; and 
 his skill as an engineer had attracted the notice of Frederick 
 Henry, Prince of Orange, who made him Master of Works, 
 and Fortifications at his camp in the Netherlands. Thus, it 
 must have been a deserved honor, when an Englishman was 
 placed at the helm of defence in Holland, by a great general, 
 bred to the science of war, and commanding a contest like 
 that against Philip of Spain. 
 
 While stationed in the vicinity of the City of Worden, Gardi- 
 ner made the acquaintance of Mary WilUamson Durcant, 
 whom he married at Worden, July 10, 1635. They proceeded 
 at once to London, whence they sailed for Boston, on the norsey 
 bark, "Batchelor," Thomas Webb, Master, a vessel provided 
 by the Company, of only twenty-five tons burden, in which 
 they tossed on the rough waves, from August 1st, until the 
 28th of November, three months and seventeen days. Mrs. 
 Gardiner was attended bv a French maidservant, Elizabeth 
 
Colet, and there was one other passenger. The oflficers and 
 crew numbered eight. These twelve souls were consigned to 
 a miniature craft, much less in size than the ordinary yacht 
 of the present day, and about as fit to cope with the perils of 
 the sea as a Dutch cradle. No wonder Winthrop wrote in 
 his journal "Her passengers and goods are here safe, through 
 the Lord's great providence." He landed in Boston, one cold, 
 bleak, blustery November morning in 1635; he was thirty- 
 six years of age, of fine military presence, well proportioned, 
 with quiet face, keen eyes, intelligent and deep set, and the 
 manner and bearing of a gentleman. He was expected, and 
 received a warm welcome from Governor Thomas Dudley, 
 and from the ex-Governors, Deputy Governors, and future 
 Governors of much-governed Boston, of whom were present, 
 John Winthrop, John Endicott, Simon Bradstreet, Sir Henry 
 Vane, John Haynes, Roger Ludlow, Richard Bellingham, and 
 the younger John Winthrop, an exceptional group of lights 
 for one small town just five years old. His presence in Boston 
 aroused the people to secure his experienced services, against 
 savage foes. Up to that hour, Boston was without any fort. 
 It was agreed that all of Boston should donate their services; 
 and Gardiner built a fort, on Fort Hill, which was used until 
 after the Revolutionary War. Meanwhile, the younger Win- 
 throp had sent a force of twenty men, under Lieutenant Gibbons, 
 afterwards Major General of Massachusetts, to break ground 
 at the mouth of the Connecticut River, and erect suitable 
 buildings for the reception of Gardiner, who repaired there, 
 accompanied by his wife. The Winter that followed was one 
 of the coldest on record, and no work could be done. At last, 
 Spring came, but no soldiers, or laborers, no imposing proces- 
 sion of notables, or nobles. Gardiner said "Our great expec- 
 tation came only two men. Colonel George Fenwick and a 
 manservant." Four years at Saybrook Fort, named for Lord 
 Say and Lord Brook, were years of hard work, anxiety, dan- 
 ger and active warfare with the Indians; but he had the satis- 
 faction of aiding in the plans which resulted in the defeat, 
 and almost annihilation of the Pequots. When this engage- 
 ment expired with the Lords and gentlemen, nothing daunted 
 by his hard experiences, he betook himself to a still more se- 
 cluded home, purchasing Monchonac from the Indians, or 
 the Isle of Wight, as Gardiner called it. This island was six- 
 teen miles from Saybrook, the nearest white settlement, and 
 here his second child was born, the first English child in the 
 
FIREPLACE IN THE MANOR HOUSE WITH THE ESCUTCHEON, WORKED BY 
 ELIZABETH, DAUGHTER OF JOHN, 3rD LORD OF THE MANOR 
 
State of New York. Lion Gardiner died at East Hampton, 
 L. I., in 1663. His son, David, was sent to England to be 
 educated and there married Mary Lerringham at St. Margaret's 
 Church, Westminster Abbey. David was the first white child 
 born in the State of Connecticut. After David, came John, and 
 the island alternated, from David to John for eight generations. 
 Lord John, 3rd, born April 1661 has on his tomb in New Lon- 
 don, Conn., "His Excellency, John Gardiner, Lord of the Isle 
 of Wight," surmounted by the arms of the family. It was 
 during his life, 1699, that Captain Kidd landed upon the island, 
 and buried a large chest of treasure. Fearing the act had 
 been discovered, Kidd went to the proprietor, and told him 
 what he had done; he knew his presence was a threat, in this 
 isolated abode, and demanded refreshment for himself, and 
 his vicious looking crew. Among the things provided was a 
 roast pig. Kidd was so pleased with his repast that he took 
 courteous leave of his host, and hostess, and upon so doing, 
 presented Mrs. Gardiner with a cloth of gold of exquisite beauty, 
 which has been carefully preserved, and handed along from 
 generation to generation. Not quite satisfied with having 
 placed himself in the position of a beggar before a gentleman 
 and his family, Kidd is said to have left a costly diamond in 
 the well bucket, where he pretended to drink, just before quit- 
 ting the island. The diamond was found, whether in the well 
 bucket, or elsewhere, and has ever since been treasured by 
 the members of the Gardiner family. 
 
 It is clear from Kidd's behavior, that he counted on absolute 
 immunity under Bellomont's protection, but things had grown 
 too hot for the Governor, and when the pirate chief got to 
 Boston, he was arrested and imprisoned; whence, he was sent 
 to London, tried in 1701 for piracy, and the murder of one of 
 his crew, and executed. Bellomont secured his memoranda 
 of deposits in various places, sent out a demand for their sur- 
 render, among others to Gardiner, who made haste to dig up 
 the chests and bales and carry them to Boston. The receipt 
 given him by the Governor's Committee, dated July 7th, 1699, 
 now in possession of the present proprietor, specifies bags of 
 gold dust, gold and silver coin, precious stones, gold and silver 
 bars, etc., their value set at 4500 pounds. 
 
 During the early years of the century that followed, the 
 manor was frequently visited by privateers, smugglers and 
 freebooters, and suffered much loss from their depredations. 
 In 1728, it was completely invested by a band of piratical 
 
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 12 
 
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 WAMPUM, PRESENTED TO LION GAEDINEE, IST LORD OF THE 
 MANOR, B\ WYANDACH, SACHEM OF MONTAUK 
 
 FRAGMENT OF A PIECE OF CLOTH-OF-GOLD PRESENTED BY 
 
 CAPT. KIDD TO THE WIFE OF JOHN GARDINER, 3rD 
 
 LORD OF THE MANOR, IN JUNE, 1699 
 
 13 
 
desperadoes, eighty in number, including Spaniards, French- 
 men andmulatoes; they assaulted the manor house in the night, 
 destroyed the furniture, and beds, and plundered household 
 articles, clothing and valuables of every description. They 
 succeeded in carrying off all the family plate, except one silver 
 tankard, which Mrs. Gardiner seized as she fled through the 
 rear passage. Gardiner was severely wounded, and many of 
 his laborers were cut with weapons of the assailants. The 
 pirates escaped with every availalile article of value the island 
 afforded. The tankard is cherished as a priceless relic of 
 this event. Thus far, the old feudal estate had flourished in 
 its independence of Colonial Government, in no way dis- 
 turbed by the political agitation of the times, but with the dawn 
 of the Revolution, it bowed to the divinity of a new liberty, 
 and a fresh leaf was turned in history. There were no electric 
 wires to flash impending disaster over land, and no railroads 
 to bring succor from afar. A fleet of thirteen British ships 
 anchored in Gardiner's Bay, a party of British officers landed 
 on the island to secure supplies for the famished troops in Bos- 
 ton. The British helped themselves to 1200 sheep, a cargo 
 of hogs, fowls, cheese and hay worth several thousand dol- 
 lars, without payment, and departed. Henceforth, Gardiner's 
 Island was a foraging field for the British, and, in a certain 
 sense, desolated. During a summer, and winter. Vice Admiral 
 Arbuthnot, with eleven ships, remained in Gardiner's Bay. 
 The draughts upon the resources of the island were constant. 
 Horses were taken for the use of the officers on shore, and the 
 timber greatly damaged. 
 
 Some of the British officers were billoted upon Colonel 
 Abraham Gardiner at East Hampton, much to his discomfort — 
 Sir Wifliam Erskin, Lord Percy, afterward Duke of Northum- 
 berland, Governor Tryon, Major Andre and Governor Clinton. 
 They made frequent trips to Gardiner's Island, where they 
 found a most enticing hunting ground, and in stormy weather, 
 they took possession of the manor house, and diverted them- 
 selves with playing quoits in the dining room ; the oaken floors 
 still bear the marks of the game. 
 
 While Major Andre was quartered with Colonel Gardiner, 
 his son. Dr. Nathaniel Gardiner, a surgeon in the New Hamp- 
 shire Continental Infantry, came home on leave of absence. 
 The family carefuUy suppressed the fact, but after his depart- 
 ture, Andre quietly informed them that he had been aware of 
 his presence in the house, and would have been much pleased 
 
 14 
 
MARY GARDINER JOHNSON, WIFE OF REV. STEPHEN JOHNSON OF LYNNE, 
 
 CONNECTICUT, AND DAUGHTER OF JOHN GARDINER, 5tH 
 
 LORD OF THE MANOR. BORN, JULY, 1740 
 
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16 
 
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to have made his acquaintance, only that his duty as a British 
 officer would have compelled him to arrest the young surgeon 
 as a spy. It was a curious coincidence that this same young 
 Dr. Gardiner should have been ordered to attend Andre the 
 last night of his life. When Andre left East Hampton, he 
 exchanged wine glasses with Colonel Gardiner, leaving two 
 from his camp chest, and these mementoes are now guarded 
 with jealous care by his descendants. But with all the sun- 
 shine and love-romance of the in- 
 tervening years, the island was to 
 taste still further fruits of war. 
 In 1812, a formidable British fleet 
 came to anchor in Gardiner's Bay. 
 The fleet numbered seven battle- 
 ships of the line, several frigates 
 and other vessels, all obtaining 
 supplies chiefly from Gardiner's 
 Island. Oxen were taken from 
 the plow and killed. Sir Thomas 
 Harvey was in command, and en- 
 deavored to restrain his men from 
 showing disrespect to the pro- 
 prietor, and his family; but the 
 sailors were perpetually coming on 
 shore, and the subordinate officers 
 were not the best of teachers, by 
 example. Some weeks later. Cap- 
 tain Sir Hugh Pigott came on shore 
 with a number of men, parading 
 before the manor house, made un- 
 reasonable demands, and threat- 
 ened to fire the buildings. Gardi- 
 ner sent his family, and servants 
 to the cellar for safety, and in- 
 tended to defend his property at 
 
 all hazards. The British finally left, and some time later, a 
 letter of apologv reached the island from the Commander-in- 
 Chief. 
 
 The early history of this island is rich in Indian legends 
 and old time tales of love and sacrifice. No portion of our 
 country was so persistently frequented by ocean rovers; no 
 point so exposed to foreign enemies in times of war. The main 
 house, now standing, was built by David Gardiner, 1774; 
 
 19 
 
 * 
 
 i 
 
 VASE GIVEN BY MAJOR ANDRE TO 
 
 COLONEL ABRAHAM 
 
 GARDINER 
 
SARAH (GRISVVOLD) GARDINER, WIFE OF THE 7tH LORD OF THE MANOR 
 (The original is in the manor house, Gardiner's Island) 
 
 20 
 
JOHN LION GARDINER, 7tH LORD OF THE MANOR 
 
 (The original is in the manor house. Gardiner's Island) 
 
 21 
 
>i<'1 
 
 VIEW OF THE POINT ON GARDINER'S ISLAND 
 
 22 
 
SAMUEL BUELL GASDINER, lOlH LORD OF THE MANOR, SON OF THE 7tH 
 
 AND BROTHER OF THE 9tH LORD OF THE MANOR 
 
 {The original is in the manor house, Gardiner's Island) 
 
 23 
 
the sixth proprietor, one hundred and thirty-five years after 
 the original settlement. The estate had then become a garden 
 of beauty, from eighty to one hundred attendants kept it 
 trimmed, and blooming; great fields of oats and wheat, and 
 other grains made graceful obeisance to the scythe; some two 
 thousand loads of hay were stored in barns every Autumn; 
 three hundred or more cattle grazed in its sunny pastures, 
 and ten times as many sheep, with an annual yield of thousands 
 of pounds of wool. The dairy produced butter in large quan- 
 tities, and cheese averaged as many as a hundred and twenty 
 pounds per day, for the season. The Lord of the Island rarely 
 stabled less than sixty horses, the finest in the country. He 
 raised annually a hundred hogs, wild turkeys hovered about 
 in great numbers, coming to yards daily, to be fed with the 
 tame fowls. A large herd of deer roamed at will among the 
 fine old trees, which would have done credit to any English 
 park; and thus, the island was kept during my father's time, 
 but after his death, the farm life was given up and my nephew, 
 Lion Gardiner, now uses the island as a game preserve, it 
 being stocked with English pheasants, deer and wild birds of 
 every variety. 
 
 Thus, Lion Gardiner's legacy has descended, an island quite 
 unspoiled by time, a lovely soUtude, which no Caucasian ever 
 called his own unless he was called by the name of Gardiner. 
 
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. TRPORV OF CONGRESS 
 
 iiiii 
 
 014 220 939V* 
 
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS