Michael Gardiner (died 1584) was a Scottish artilleryman based at Stirling Castle. The surname also appears as Gardner and Gardenar.

Career

In 1538 he was transferred from the garrison of

Dunbar Castle Dunbar Castle was one of the strongest fortresses in Scotland, situated in a prominent position overlooking the harbour of the town of Dunbar, in East Lothian. Several fortifications were built successively on the site, near the English-Scotti ...

to Stirling, and he was put on the regular pay-roll at £3 per month. In June 1541 he was sent to Kelso Abbey to collect a broken bell and three brass pots to be melted down in the gun-foundry at Edinburgh Castle. In August 1544 he was stationed at

Dumbarton Castle Dumbarton Castle ( gd, Dùn Breatainn, ; ) has the longest recorded history of any stronghold in Scotland. It sits on a volcanic plug of basalt known as Dumbarton Rock which is high and overlooks the Scottish town of Dumbarton. History Dum ...

. By 1555 his wage increased to £6 monthly. Michael Gardinar was in charge of cannons at Stirling Castle as a Master Cannoner. He was also a burgess of Stirling. In 1546 his wages, the wage of the gunner Hans Cochrane, and the watchmen, porters, and "garytours" (garrison soldiers) of Stirling Castle were paid by Thomas Erskine of Haltoun from the income of Mary of Guise's lands of Brechin and Navar. Gardinar worked with John Chisholm in Edinburgh Castle making fireworks for

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legitimate child of James V of S ...

for the baptism of Prince James at Stirling in December 1566. He requested advice on "weak powder" from the Laird of Roslin.

Marian Civil War

During the

Marian Civil War The Marian civil war in Scotland (1568–1573) was a period of conflict which followed the abdication of Mary, Queen of Scots, and her escape from Lochleven Castle in May 1568. Those who ruled in the name of her infant son James VI fought against ...

Gardiner and his son Robert sided with

Regent Lennox Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox (21 September 1516 – 4 September 1571) was a leader of the Catholic nobility in Scotland. He was the paternal grandfather of King James VI of Scotland and I of England. He owned Temple Newsam in Yorkshire, ...

who was based at Leith, against the supporters of

and his former colleagues who garrisoned Edinburgh Castle. In May 1571 Gardiner provided ropes and other equipment to transport cannon from Stirling to Edinburgh. In October 1571 Gardiner was paid for refurbishing cannon at Stirling and transporting a "gross culverin" from Glasgow to Stirling. The guns were shipped to Leith. Robert Gardiner travelled to Perth, Dundee, and Broughty to buy iron, timber, and cannon balls, to be deployed in

the Canongate The Canongate is a street and associated district in central Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland. The street forms the main eastern length of the Royal Mile while the district is the main eastern section of Edinburgh's Old Town. It began w ...

. In November Gardiner's assistant David Haliburton took a boat load of "bullettis", cannon balls, from Leith to

Blackness Castle Blackness Castle is a 15th-century fortress, near the village of Blackness, Scotland, on the south shore of the Firth of Forth. It was built, probably on the site of an earlier fort, by Sir George Crichton in the 1440s. At this time, Blackne ...

. In August 1572 Michael dismantled some of the artillery and shipped it to Stirling in six boats guarded by Captain Mitchell's company, while Robert Gardiner was sent to Berwick with the Regent's letter for Lord Hunsdon. At the end of the 'lang siege' of Edinburgh Castle, in June 1573, Gardiner dismantled the culverins used as siege cannons against the castle and took them to Holyrood Palace and then to Leith. He was paid for cables and rope, soap, tallow, axles, wedges, and other equipment. The blacksmith and gunner at Stirling was David Smith. He died in 1578 and was replaced by John McBen.

Later life

In 1579 the Hamilton family were suppressed for their support for Queen Mary, and for the murders of

Regent Moray James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray (c. 1531 – 23 January 1570) was a member of the House of Stewart as the illegitimate son of King James V of Scotland. A supporter of his half-sister Mary, Queen of Scots, he was the regent of Scotland for hi ...

and

. The family fortified their houses and castles including Craignethan Castle and the Castle of Hamilton ( Cadzow Castle). Cadzow was bombarded by Michael Gardiner, and fell on 19 May 1579. Gardiner was given £100 for his efforts, and the cost of deploying the artillery was £2,099 Scots. The castle was slighted by Captain Thomas Craufurd.

Death and will

Michael Gardiner became depute-keeper of Stirling Castle in March 1581 during the illness of the Constable, Mr John Stewart. A note from 1581 states that "Michaell kens all thing in the place, what ammunition and other gear is your Majesty's and what pertains to my Lord of Mar." An inventory of cannon of brass and iron, and some of the gunners' equipment including a crane and vices was made in April 1581. He died on 3 May 1584. He left a will made in 1579, and his inventory mentions the king owed him £140 Scots of unpaid wages. Gardener had borrowed money from his wife's relatives in Stirling, Jonet Ray and Isobel Ray a butcher's widow. Amongst his possessions was a "locked case with instruments contained therein for my craft", brass, iron and wooden rulers, and "certain writs pertaining to his craft." Other items mentioned in his will include his military clothing and weapons; a hat, spurs, and helmet, a whinger on a belt, a sword, a bag, a powder horn, armour (a harness), and a halberd.

Family and children

In 1584 his pension, which he had received since 1534 was transferred to his widow Margaret Ray. Some of their children were also gunners: * Robert Gardiner, gunner at Stirling Castle from 1570, in August 1571

sent him to collect a yetling cannon from

Broughty Castle Broughty Castle is a historic castle on the banks of the River Tay in Broughty Ferry, Dundee, Scotland. It was completed around 1495, although the site was earlier fortified in 1454, when George Douglas, 4th Earl of Angus, received permission t ...

, he was in Flanders in 1579, and died in 1582. * Crystal Gardiner, gunner at Stirling Castle, who died in 1582. * Archibald Gardiner, gunner at Edinburgh Castle. In 1584 he was given a house in Stirling confiscated from Adam Erskine, Commendator of Cambuskenneth, next to the house of the Earl of Argyll and the king's embroiderer, William Beaton. * James Gardiner, gunner at Stirling Castle, appointed in 1582 in succession to his brother Robert, and Master Cannoner 1 October 1584 in succession to his father. James Gardiner took the cannon to

Kirkwall Kirkwall ( sco, Kirkwaa, gd, Bàgh na h-Eaglaise, nrn, Kirkavå) is the largest town in Orkney, an archipelago to the north of mainland Scotland. The name Kirkwall comes from the Norse name (''Church Bay''), which later changed to ''Kirkv ...

in 1615, to besiege the

Earl of Orkney Earl of Orkney, historically Jarl of Orkney, is a title of nobility encompassing the archipelagoes of Orkney and Shetland, which comprise the Northern Isles of Scotland. Originally founded by Norse invaders, the status of the rulers of the Nort ...

.''HMC Mar & Kellie'', vol. 1 (London, 1904), p. 75. He brought ammunition from Stirling to Leith to salute the arrival of

Anne of Denmark Anne of Denmark (; 12 December 1574 – 2 March 1619) was the wife of King James VI and I; as such, she was Queen of Scotland from their marriage on 20 August 1589 and Queen of England and Ireland from the union of the Scottish and Eng ...

in 1589. He also had a son Christian and a daughter Helen.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gardiner, Michael 16th-century Scottish people 1584 deaths Military personnel from Stirling Scottish soldiers People of Stirling Castle