Person

Lion Gardiner

1599–1663 · 17th century

Lion Gardiner was an English military engineer who had served in the Netherlands and was hired in 1635 to build a fort at the mouth of the Connecticut River for the Saybrook Colony. He commanded the fort during the Pequot War of 1636–1638. In 1639 he bought Gardiners Island from the Montaukett, becoming the first English settler in what is now New York State.

Lion Gardiner
Image: Charles Reinhart (1844-1896) · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

Saybrook Colony

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Lion Gardiner. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/lion-gardiner
MLA
“Lion Gardiner.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/lion-gardiner. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Lion Gardiner.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/lion-gardiner.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Lion Gardiner’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/lion-gardiner (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻