George Gleigg Gardner was born in Deal in 1845, and came to New Zealand in 1862, and, with Margaret McKinlay of Wishaw, Scotland, founded one of the New Zealand Gardner lines.

Deal is a charming seaside town, a ‘limb’ of the former Cinque Ports of Southeast England (Sandwich, Hastings, Dover, Romney, Hythe). George’s father, Thomas Nathaniel (29 May 1801 - 20 April 1853), was a Cinque Ports pilot.

Any descendant of George’s should, if visiting England, take the opportunity to see Deal, and seek out places that George would have known. This leaflet outlines places of Gardner interest, and notes some points on travel and accommodation information.

Getting there:

There is a frequent rail service to Southeast England, with Victoria and Charing Cross being the London origin stations. (If you’re otherwise going to be using rail as your main means of travel, it’s much more economical to get a BritRail Pass; but obtainable only before leaving for the UK). Deal is so small (think Ashburton size) that you can easily walk from the railway station to the middle of the town (always provided you have a wheeled suitcase!).

Where to stay:

There’s a nice hotel at 9 Beach Street, the King’s Head (circa 1764), which also maintains the Channel View Guest House at no. 19.  Gardners will probably want to choose one of the cosy rooms at no. 19 (₤40 a night), which is as close as can be got to no. 18 (or was it no. 16?) where George’s family once lived. The houses on the even-numbered side of the street were demolished in the late 19th century, so you can only imagine where the family would have lived in the mid 1800s. A bit further up Beach Street is the Royal Hotel, somewhat fancier (and more expensive); Lord Nelson may have stayed there.

Middle Street and Oak Street

67 Middle Street remains to this day. A modest single-window frontage two-story house, it’s recorded in the 1851 census as the address of Thomas N. Gardner and Eliza P. Gardner, and their children Thomas R., George G. (described as ‘scholar’, age 6), and Eliza P. Gardner.

Any Gardner tracking down this house might like to knock on the door and see to what use it’s being put today. Might an entry be offered? No initials G.G.G. carved into the upstairs windowpane, perchance?!

A few William Gardners pop up on a census search, but the one belonging to us was a Cinque Ports pilot, and he died in Deal 1850. (M.G. got confused with another William Gardner, hairdresser, b. 1777, living at 1 Union Row, Deal, in 1851; but S.M. is certain this wasn’t our man.)

William Gardner’s other son, Robert Forrest Gardner, who came to Nelson, NZ, lived in Oak Street, which intersects with Middle Street (very close to no. 67). Did Robert’s coming to NZ inspire his maritime nephew, George Gleigg, to seek out a NZ-bound vessel?

The Deal Public Library is a most useful resource (it’s where M.G. located the 1851 census), and the staff are very helpful. Serious researchers will want to look through the early records section.

Churches and Cemeteries

The two Gardner-attended churches in Deal that you can visit are St George’s, right in the middle of town, and St Leonard’s, a 20-30 minute walk to Upper Deal.

You can look at the stained glass window, which has the word HOPE in mirror-image showing at the bottom, the only bit to survive a bomb blast in the second world war, and which is lit up from the inside to give hope to passers-by in High Street.

The open land behind St George’s used to be the cemetery, but most of the headstones were removed and are now leaning up against the brick walls. Thomas Nathaniel Gardner actually has a plaque mounted on the wall, and thus it’s still in its original position, sighted by George Gardner in 1923, and most recently (2005) by Kate Johnson.

The Parker name is inscribed at one of the doors. William Gardner had married Jane Parker, around the turn of the (18th) century; could this inscription be of ‘our’ Parker line?