Jane Gardiner facts for kids

Jane Arden Gardiner (born in 1758, died in 1840) was a British schoolmistress, which means she ran a school. She was also a grammarian, someone who studied and taught grammar. She was one of the first friends of the famous writer Mary Wollstonecraft.

Growing Up

Jane Gardiner's father, John Arden, was a smart man who taught and gave talks. He was even one of Mary Wollstonecraft's first teachers! He loved science and literature, and he taught Jane whenever he had free time.

Jane and Mary Wollstonecraft were good friends. They lived close to each other in Beverley for many years. When Mary's family moved away in 1774, the girls kept writing letters to each other. They stayed friends through their teenage years and early twenties.

Her Career as a Teacher

Jane Gardiner started teaching when she was still a teenager. She left home to become a governess, a private teacher for children, for Lady Martin's daughters in north Norfolk.

In 1780, she moved across England to work for Lord Ilchester's family in Redlynch, Somerset. Another governess named Agnes Porter took over her job there later.

Opening Her Own School

In 1784, Jane opened a boarding school for girls in Beverley. A boarding school is where students live at the school. She managed this school by herself for thirteen years. The school also became a home for her older parents and her younger sister, who was not well.

Jane was happy with her choice to teach. She once said, "I own that the life of a governess would not have been my choice, but I am content." She was treated very well by the Martin family, almost like their own daughter. She even went with them to Houghton Hall, where she saw a famous collection of paintings. She met Lord Nelson, a famous British admiral, and asked him to help her understand art better.

Later Years of Her School

Jane's father passed away in 1791. In 1797, she married a friend of her younger brother. In 1800, she and her students moved to Elsham Hall, a large country house near Elsham, North Lincolnshire.

She continued to run her school for another thirty years! She collected a huge library for her students, with 2,800 books in English, French, and Italian. In 1814, her family and the school moved to Ashby Hall. In 1836, when she was 78 years old, Jane had to close her school because the owner of the house wanted to live there. She died four years later.

Her Books

Jane Gardiner wrote several books to help people learn.

In 1799, she published her book called Young Ladies’ Grammar. This grammar book was special because it used French grammar ideas to teach English.

In 1801, she published two more books to go with her grammar book, called English Exercises. She also wrote a travel book called An Excursion from London to Dover, in Two Volumes (1806). In 1808, she published another grammar book called An Easy French Grammar.

Personal Life

Jane Gardiner was a very religious Christian. She read the Bible every day. Many of her diary entries, which her daughter later shared, show her deep religious thoughts. One of her former students said that Jane's school helped teach many "solidly educated Christian women." She taught about 600 young women over fifty years!

Jane named her daughter Everilda, which was the first name of her first employer, Lady Martin. Everilda wrote a book about her mother that praised her a lot. This book used many of Jane's letters and diary entries. It also told the story of her life and her last days. The book was paid for by "subscription publishing," which was an early way of crowdfunding. Everilda was surprised that almost 700 people had bought about 1,400 copies of the book before it was even printed!