Gardiner, Lion (1599-1663) born in England, military engineer and colonist responsible for building the fort and developing the settlement at Saybrook, Connecticut. The garrison was attacked by the Pequot, and Gardiner sent his men as part of the Puritan expedition that carried out the massacre of the native tribe at Fort Mystic in the Pequot War (1637). In 1639 Gardiner moved to an island off the eastern end of Long Island, called Montauk, which he purchased from the Indians and where his family lived independently of the nearby mainland colonies.
Montauk Iskland is now called Gardiner's Island and is part of New York state. It is still privately held by his descendants.See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.
