John Dunn Gardner - Marriages and Children

Marriages and Children

Dunn Gardner married twice. His first wife, whom he married in 1847, was Mary Lawson (d. 13 April 1851), elder daughter of Andrew Lawson, of Boro Bridge, Boroughbridge, co York formerly MP for Knaresborough, and granddaughter maternally of the late Sir Thomas Gooch, Bt., of Benacre, co. Suffolk. By her, he had issue, one son and one daughter.

His second wife, whom he married in 1853, was Ada Piggott, daughter of William Pigott, Esq., of Dullingham House, Newmarket, co Cambridge, and granddaughter of Sir George Pigott, Bt., of Knapton, Queen's County. By his second wife, he had further issue, a second son and a second daughter.

Children:

1. (by 1st wife) Arthur Andrew Cecil Dunn-Gardner, J.P. (b. 8 January 1851), apparently a notable book collector like his father. He married 1890 Rose Lawrie, daughter of Andrew Lawrie. She was apparently the Rose Dunn-Gardner, who was active in 1895 in the Society for Organising Charitable Relief and Repressing Mendicity (formed 1869), known later as Charity Organisation Society (COS).

1. (by 1st wife) Mary Marianne Mariana, later Mrs William Robinson (b. 1848–1850) md 1870 her stepmother's brother (Christopher) William Robinson (23 January 1830 – 23 June 1889), of Dullingham House, Newmarket, co Cambridge (the house formerly owned or rented by her stepmother's father) and Denston Hall, co. Suffolk; he was son of William Pigott, Esq., of Dullingham House, Newmarket, co Cambridge (see above) by his wife Harriet Jeaffreson. He changed his name twice from Pigott to Jeaffreson to inherit Dullingham House under the terms of his grandfather's will, and then again to Robinson to inherit Denston Hall, Suffolk, from another relative. He died 23 June 1889, apparently leaving no issue.
2. (by 2nd wife) Algernon Charles Wyndham Dunn-Gardner, of Denston Hall, co Suffolk, and Chatteris (b. 12 December 1853; d. 1929); he married Harriet Compton of the Minstead family of that name, itself a branch of the Marquesses of Northampton. They had issue, one daughter
   1. Miriam Dunn-Gardner (b. 1905; d. after 1977), married by 1934 to Harvey Cliff Leader (1893–1972), a racehorse trainer at Newmarket. She sold her manorial rights in Fordham Abbey in 1972. The Abbey itself with about 245 acres (0.99 km2) remaining mostly parkland, was sold between 1933 and 1937.
3. (by 2nd wife) Ada Marietta Dunn-Gardner

Dunn-Gardner died circa 1904–1905, being still living and residing at 37 Grosvenor Place, London, when Ruvigny compiled the Anne of Exeter volume.

In 1872, John Dunn Gardner was the sixth largest landowner in the county of Cambridge, ranking immediately after the Earl of Hardwicke, the Duke of Bedford, John Walbanke Childers MP, the Duke of Rutland, and William Hall. He was the second largest landowner to be resident principally in Cambridgeshire, and owned 3,676 acres (14.88 km2), or about 0.7% of all land in that county.