Rose (Gardiner) Milles
British, 1757 - 1835
Person TypeIndividual
BiographyRose Gardiner was born on July 15, 1757, the daughter of Rose and Edward Gardiner of Pishobury, Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire. Her mother died a few days after her birth and on the death of her father on January 30, 1779 she inherited a substantial fortune, which included the properties of Singlehall and Mathams, Sawbridgeworth. That same year, she agreed to marry Major Cotton, the eldest son of Sir John Cotton, but "through an inherent hauteur and pride," he "let her slip out of his hands." Instead, on June 9, 1780 she married Jeremiah Milles, the eldest son of the Dean of Exeter, known for his handsome looks and charming manner. On the death of her brother Edward Gardiner, she inherited the ancient manor of Pishobury in Hertfordshire, whose history dates to the Norman Conquests. She and her husband had a son Thomas Gardiner Milles, who was born on September 15, 1786 and died less than ten weeks later, and a daughter Rose (d.1824). Her son Sir Francis Beilby Alston (1820-1905) became Rose Milles's heir at her death on May 21, 1835.
