Company to the rectory of St. Martin Outwich, London, which he resigned in 1574, and in the same year he was collated to the living of Morley, Norfolk. In 1573 he became archdeacon of Norwich. He had represented to Leicester that the appointment had lapsed to the crown in consequence of a prolonged lawsuit between two candidates. The Bishop of Norwich (Parkhurst), whose own candidate was one of the disputants, refused to recognise Gardiner as archdeacon; but in October 1573 the bishop promised to support him for the deanery, then vacant, if he would give up the archdeaconry. But Gardiner had already had resort to Leicester and Burghley, and was nominated dean unconditionally, in spite of his bishop's opposition. Both Leicester and the queen ordered the bishop to desist, and ultimately Parkhurst and Gardiner became good friends. Gardiner erected a monument to Parkhurst's memory in the cathedral. In 1573 Gardiner was also appointed chaplain to the queen, and in the following year he was in attendance at court. In the same year he was on a commission of oyer and terminer for the county of Norfolk to examine into offences against the Act of Uniformity. In 1578 he was vicar-general of Norwich, apparently for only a short period. In 1575 he obtained the vicarage of Swaffham by gift of the queen, in 1579 the rectory of Haylesden, in 1580 that of Blofield, in 1583 that of Ashill, and in 1584 that of Forncett, all in Norfolk. He held as well the rectory of West Stow, Suffolk. He had also duties in London, and in February 1587 a formal complaint was made against him, among others, for neglecting to preach at St. Paul's Cross according to a monition. As dean of Norwich he greatly benefited the revenues of the cathedral. Part of the church lands had been annexed by Sir Thomas Shirley and others in a less degree on various pretexts. Gardiner, by dint of his influence at court and many lawsuits, finally, in 1588, obtained a royal warrant ordering the patentees to surrender the church lands, though not without some compensation. In the later years of his life Gardiner was much invalided by gout. He died about June 1589, and was buried in the south aisle of his cathedral, where his tomb, with its Latin inscription, still remains. He is described by Strype as 'a man of learning and merit and a hearty professor of the gospel.' Many of his letters are extant, and a number of them are printed in Strype's 'Annals.' Gardiner was married, and in 1573 was the father of four children.
[Cooper's Athenæ Cantabr. ii. 55; Strype's Annals of the Reformation, ii. 443-50, 485, 497, 533-7, iii. 57-62; Strype's Life of Parker, ii. 36, 87, 137, 154; Strype's Life of Aylmer, p. 201; Blomefield's Norfolk, ii. 350, iii. 620, 640, 668, iv. 301, v. 261, vi. 225, vii. 211, x. 432; Newcourt's Repert. Eccl. Lond. i. 420; Le Neve's Fasti, ii. 476, 481, 496, 500; Rymer's Fœdera, xv. 584, 725, 727; Lansdowne MS. 18, art. 15982, f. 116.]
GARDINER, JAMES, D.D. (1637––1705), bishop of Lincoln, was the son, by his second wife, of Adrian Gardiner, apothecary, of Nottingham, 'who brought up many sons very well' (Thoroton, Nottinghamshire, p. 498, ed. 1677). He entered at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, in 1649, taking the degrees of B.A. 1652-3, M.A. 1656, and D.D. 1669. On the Restoration he obtained favour at court, became chaplain to the Duke of Monmouth, chaplain to the guards, and received the crown living of Epworth, Lincolnshire, and the stall of Stow-in-Lindsey in Lincoln Cathedral, 4 March 1660-1. He was also presented by Charles II (sede vacante) to the prebendal stall of Stratton in the cathedral of Salisbury, 3 Feb. 1665-6. In 1671 he received the sub-deanery of Lincoln from Bishop Thomas Fuller, in the room of Robert Mapletoft [q. v.] While holding this office he rebuilt his official residence, which had been reduced to ruins by the parliamentary forces on the storming of the castle and close in 1644. On the death of Dr. Honywood [q. v.] in 1681, he was recommended for the deanery of Lincoln by Archbishop Sancroft, but unsuccessfully, the dignity having been promised to Dr. Brevint [q. v.] On the serious illness of the latter in 1685, Gardiner applied to the archbishop for his interest for the anticipated vacancy, which, however, did not occur till 1695. Meanwhile, on the translation of Tenison from the see of Lincoln to that of Canterbury, Tenison successfully recommended his friend Gardiner as his successor, and Gardiner's was the first consecration performed by the new archbishop, 10 March 1694-5, being the first episcopal consecration since Tenison's own in 1691-2. Gardiner had permission to retain the stall of Stow-in-Lindsey in commendam for three years. Gardiner's ten years' episcopate was quiet and uneventful, and devoted to the conscientious discharge of his duty. He was a whig and a low churchman, and voted steadily with his party. He desired to be excused giving his opinion either way when, 22 Feb. 1699-1700, the case of Bishop Watson's deprivation came before the court of delegates. His colleagues were unanimous in confirming the sentence of the inferior court. Gardiner's conduct illustrates his irresolute character (Luttrell, Diary, iv. 616). When the bill against occasional conformity was thrown out by the House of
