Bernard Gardiner (baptised 25 September 1668 – 22 April 1726) was an academic at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

, serving as

Warden A warden is a custodian, defender, or guardian. Warden is often used in the sense of a watchman or guardian, as in a prison warden. It can also refer to a chief or head official, as in the Warden of the Mint. ''Warden'' is etymologically identic ...

All Souls College, Oxford All Souls College (official name: College of the Souls of All the Faithful Departed) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Unique to All Souls, all of its members automatically become fellows (i.e., full members of t ...

, and also as

Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford is the chief executive and leader of the University of Oxford. The following people have been vice-chancellors of the University of Oxford (formally known as The Right Worshipful the Vice-Chancel ...

Life

Gardiner was the son of

Sir William Gardiner, 1st Baronet Sir William Gardiner, 1st Baronet (9 May 1628 – 23 June 1691) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1660. Gardiner was the son of Robert Gardiner of Wigan and his wife Mary Palmer. In 1660, Gardiner was elected Me ...

, a lawyer and politician, and was baptised in

Fareham, Hampshire Fareham ( ) is a market town at the north-west tip of Portsmouth Harbour, between the cities of Portsmouth and Southampton in south east Hampshire, England. It gives its name to the Borough of Fareham. It was historically an important manufact ...

, on 25 September 1668. His mother was Anne daughter and heir Robert Brocas of Beaurepaire, Hampshire. He was educated at

Magdalen College, Oxford Magdalen College (, ) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by William of Waynflete. Today, it is the fourth wealthiest college, with a financial endowment of £332.1 million as of 2019 and one of the s ...

matriculating Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination. Australia In Australia, the term "matriculation" is seldom used now. ...

there in November 1684 and holding a

demyship A demyship (also "demy" for the recipient) is a form of scholarship at Magdalen College, Oxford. The term is derived from ''demi-socii'' or ''half-fellows'', being historically entitled to half the allowance awarded to Fellows. The allowance is n ...

(scholarship), but lost his position during a battle for supremacy between the college's officials and James II. Gardiner obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1688, and became a

Fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

All Souls College All Souls College (official name: College of the Souls of All the Faithful Departed) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Unique to All Souls, all of its members automatically become fellows (i.e., full members of t ...

in the following year.

Thomas Tenison Thomas Tenison (29 September 163614 December 1715) was an English church leader, Archbishop of Canterbury from 1694 until his death. During his primacy, he crowned two British monarchs. Life He was born at Cottenham, Cambridgeshire, the son a ...

, the

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Justi ...

, nominated him to become the Warden (head) of All Souls in 1702. He later added the degrees of

Bachelor of Civil Law Bachelor of Civil Law (abbreviated BCL, or B.C.L.; la, Baccalaureus Civilis Legis) is the name of various degrees in law conferred by English-language universities. The BCL originated as a postgraduate degree in the universities of Oxford and Camb ...

in 1693 and

Doctor of Civil Law Doctor of Civil Law (DCL; la, Legis Civilis Doctor or Juris Civilis Doctor) is a degree offered by some universities, such as the University of Oxford, instead of the more common Doctor of Laws (LLD) degrees. At Oxford, the degree is a higher ...

in 1698. Further positions within the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

followed:

Keeper of the Archives The position of Keeper of the Archives at the University of Oxford in England dates from 1634, when it was established by new statutes for the university brought in by William Laud ( Archbishop of Canterbury and Chancellor of the University) ...

from 1703, and Vice-Chancellor of the University from 1712 to 1715. Gardiner took steps to ensure that fellows of the

Oxford colleges The University of Oxford has thirty-nine colleges, and five permanent private halls (PPHs) of religious foundation. Colleges and PPHs are autonomous self-governing corporations within the university. These colleges are not only houses of residen ...

complied with their obligations to reside in Oxford and, for fellows at some colleges, to become priests. He had some, but not complete, success since some of the errant fellows had powerful supporters. Gardiner himself was ordained, and was

vicar A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pref ...

Ambrosden Ambrosden is a village and civil parish in Cherwell, Oxfordshire, England, southwest of Bicester to which it is linked by the A41 road, and from Oxford. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 2,248. The parish is bounded by the ...

, Oxfordshire, from 1708 and

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

Hawarden Hawarden (; cy, Penarlâg) is a village, community (Wales), community and Wards and electoral divisions of the United Kingdom, electoral ward in Flintshire, Wales. It is part of the Deeside conurbation on the Wales-England border and is home ...

, Flintshire, from 1714. He helped to organise the rebuilding of All Souls by

Nicholas Hawksmoor Nicholas Hawksmoor (probably 1661 – 25 March 1736) was an English architect. He was a leading figure of the English Baroque style of architecture in the late-seventeenth and early-eighteenth centuries. Hawksmoor worked alongside the principa ...

and

George Clarke George Clarke (7 May 1661 – 22 October 1736), of All Souls, Oxford, was an English architect, print collector and Tory politician who sat in the English and British House of Commons between 1702 and 1736. Life The son of Sir William Clarke ...

. Gardiner married Grace daughter and eventual heir of Sir Sebastian Smythe, Kt, of Cuddeston, Oxfordshire, physician to King William III, and died on 22 April 1726 in Oxford. His estates were inherited by his daughter, Grace, who married Robert Whalley, MD in 1742;Debrett's Baronetage, 1828 for whose sons see

Whalley-Smythe-Gardiner baronets The Whalley-Gardiner, later Whalley-Smythe-Gardiner Baronetcy, of Roch(e) Court in the County of Southampton, was a title in the Baronetage of Great Britain. It was created on 14 January 1783 for John Whalley-Gardiner, Member of Parliament for ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gardiner, Bernard 1668 births 1726 deaths Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford Fellows of All Souls College, Oxford Wardens of All Souls College, Oxford Vice-Chancellors of the University of Oxford 18th-century English Anglican priests English archivists Keepers of the Archives of the University of Oxford 18th-century scholars Younger sons of baronets