Gardiner Family Tree
1Once upon a time…
The rider on his way to London was lost in thought.
How could it happen that the people of an inconsequential village like Meryton would oust one of the most sought-after members of London society?
Fitzwilliam Darcy would have been surprised to know that it had all started with the daughter of a country solicitor.
~T~
In 1748 Miss Mary Gardiner, the daughter of a country solicitor married Mr Henry Carleton with whom she spent nearly fifty years until his death in 1795. After her husband’s funeral, Mrs Mary Carleton thought that she had been fortunate and had a good life.
Henry Carleton had been the second son of a prominent family who had expected him to make the church his career, but he was disinclined to that life. Since he had a flair for business, he had gone into trade, a choice to which his family objected. As a result, Henry Carleton’s family ignored what they considered to be the black sheep.
Because of his exceptional business acumen, and the fact that due to his upbringing he knew almost everyone in society which meant that he never lacked for investors, over the years Henry had amassed a significant fortune. He used some of it to tweak the noses of his estranged family, by building a large house at the south end of North Audley Street on land for which he had negotiated a nine and ninety year lease. Although to avoid confusion, he named the house after his wife’s family – Gardiner House. Even though he, together with his wife and son moved into the new residence, he kept their previous home in Gracechurch Street as it was conveniently located to his warehouses and perfectly suited to conduct business meetings.
Henry Carleton had also used his fortune to send their one son to the best schools and provided him with all the advantages of a gentleman’seducation. All was well until at the age of four and twenty Andrew Carleton met with an accident which cost him his life.
As they could not have any more children, Mrs Carleton started to take a greater interest in the children of her much younger brother Robert Gardiner, who had followed in their father’s footsteps and become a solicitor. He had two daughters and a son. The boy Edward was the youngest of the siblings and had been born only two years before Andrew Carleton’s death.
When her older niece Martha Gardiner was nineteen, she married Henry Phillips, a clerk who was training to be a solicitor in her brother’s office since Robert Gardiner had taken over after their father’s death. Two years later, the younger niece Frances married Thomas Bennet, a gentleman with a modest estate while Edward expressed a desire to become a businessman rather than follow in his father’s footsteps.
To Mr Carleton it was an obvious choice to take the young man under his wing. While he insisted that his nephew attain a gentleman’s education just like his son, during the school holidays, he taught him the basics of his business which included introductions of his nephew to all of his friends and acquaintances.
Once Edward finished school, he joined the business full time. Within a year, Edward Gardiner was made a full partner, at which point Mr Carleton installed his nephew in his old house.
As Edward took on more responsibility for the business, Henry Carleton decided to retire, and to give his wife the opportunity to spend more time with her nieces, he bought yet another estate, this one in their neighbourhood. Providence was against them and before they had a chance to move to their new home in the country, Henry Carleton was struck down by an apoplexy.
Her husband’s death changed the situation for Mrs Carleton. She decided that she had no wish to manage an estate at her time in life, although she did keep it and arranged to put it up for lease, like all the others which her husband had bought over the years. Instead of living at Netherfield Park, she bought a comfortable cottage near her older niece and divided her time between her new country home and the house which she had shared with her husband for three decades.
~T~
1796
It had been a year since her husband’s death, when her younger niece gave birth to her fifth child.
Instead of rejoicing that she had yet another healthy daughter, Fanny Bennet was distraught. The birth had been a difficult one and she was informed that she would not be able to have any more children.
‘Aunt Mary,’ she sobbed on the lady’s shoulder, ‘what are we to do? If anything happens to Mr Bennet, that horrible Mr Collins, to whom the estate is entailed, will surely throw us out into the hedgerows to starve.’
Mrs Carleton patted her niece’s back and soothed, ‘There is no need to worry yourself. I have my very nice cottage and there will be plenty of room for you and your girls.’
‘You would take us in?’ Fanny gave a tremulous smile.
‘Naturally. After all, you are family. I want you not to worry. Save your energy for looking after your beautiful girls.’
That reassurance did much to calm the new mother.
~T~
A few days later, Mrs Carleton met with her brother in his offices to arrange matters.
‘Mary, it is good to see you, but Martha and I would have been happy to call on you if you wanted company,’ Mr Gardiner greeted his sister.
‘I know you would, but I have come to see you in your professional capacity, and it requires discretion.’
Mr Gardiner gave her a puzzled look but agreed.
