Thomas Gardiner ( – 1585/) was an English academic and politician. Gardiner had origins in

Maidenhead Maidenhead is a market town in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in the county of Berkshire, England, on the southwestern bank of the River Thames. It had an estimated population of 70,374 and forms part of the border with southern Bu ...

, and was educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

and

King's College, Cambridge King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, the college lies beside the River Cam and faces out onto King's Parade in the centre of the city ...

, being admitted as a scholar in 1542 aged 16, matriculating in 1544, and graduating B.A. 1547, M.A. 1550. He was a Fellow of King's College 1545–55, Proctor 1553–54, and Public Orator 1554–57. He was elected MP for

Mitchell Mitchell may refer to: People *Mitchell (surname) *Mitchell (given name) Places Australia * Mitchell, Australian Capital Territory, a light-industrial estate * Mitchell, New South Wales, a suburb of Bathurst * Mitchell, Northern Territo ...

in the parliament of 1558. ''

The History of Parliament The History of Parliament is a project to write a complete history of the United Kingdom Parliament and its predecessors, the Parliament of Great Britain and the Parliament of England. The history will principally consist of a prosopography, in w ...

'' comments that "Gardiner’s return to the Parliament of 1558 is not easy to explain. He had no personal ties with Mitchell, where his name was inserted on the indenture in a different hand." He worked as a teller at the Exchequer 1560–1569. He refuted claims of misconduct at the Exchequer reported to William Cecil in 1564, but in 1569 an investigation found that he had defrauded the Queen of nearly £30,000. He lost the tellership, was ordered to repay the money and, failing to do so, was imprisoned in 1571 and 1585. He appealed to

Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...

and Cecil for leniency, to no avail. Venn states that Gardiner died in 1585, but an individual of this name worked as an escheator in the

Duchy of Lancaster The Duchy of Lancaster is the private estate of the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, British sovereign as Duke of Lancaster. The principal purpose of the estate is to provide a source of independent income to the sovereign. The estate consists of ...

until resigning in May 1588, and made a will on 20 February 1588. The will was proved in 1591.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gardiner, Thomas People from Maidenhead People educated at Eton College Alumni of King's College, Cambridge Fellows of King's College, Cambridge Cambridge University Orators English MPs 1558 Year of birth uncertain 1520s births 16th-century deaths