Laurence Gardner
Born(1943-05-17)17 May 1943
UK, London
Died12 August 2010(2010-08-12) (aged 67)
NationalityBritish
OccupationAuthor

Laurence Gardner (17 May 1943 – 12 August 2010) was a British author and lecturer. He wrote on various topics including historical-religious speculation such as the Jesus bloodline.

Biography

Laurence Gardner was born in Hackney, London. He was married to Angela and they had one child together and two children from a previous marriage.[1] He was a stockbroker before becoming an author. Gardner was also an artistic painter, working alone and with Canadian artist Peter Robson,[1] and was also known in the United States for his radio telephone-ins.[1]

Gardner's first book Bloodline of the Holy Grail was published during 1996.[2] The book was serialized in The Daily Mail and was a best seller.[1] He used his books to propose several theories, including a belief that Jesus and Mary Magdalene had married and had children, whose descendants included King Arthur and the House of Stuart.[1] In Lost Secrets of the Sacred Ark he claimed that the Ark of the Covenant was a machine for manufacturing "monatomic gold" – a supposed elixir which could be used to extend life.[3] His books also included theories about Freemasonry, the Knights Templar, the Holy Grail, and proposed connections between Atenism and Judaism.

Gardner referred to himself as "Chevalier Labhran de Saint Germain", and "Presidential Attaché to the European Council of Princes" (the existence of which cannot be verified[4]) also "Prior of the Celtic Churches Sacred Kindred of Saint Columba".[5] He also claimed to be Jacobite Historiographer Royal of the Royal House of Stewart. He was an endorser of Michel Roger Lafosse, in particular his claims to be descended from the House of Stuart, which Gardner claimed was descended from Jesus Christ.[6][7] Some historians and scholars regard him as a conspiracy theorist,[8] and treat his work as pseudohistory.[6] Lafosse's claims have been dismissed.[9]

Gardner was interviewed for the Killing Joke music documentary film later released in 2013, The Death and Resurrection Show, in which he stated that, "The Christian God is an Extraterrestrial".

Gardner died on 12 August 2010 after a prolonged illness.[10] His book, The Origin of God, was published in 2010 as a print on demand book from the Dash House Publishing Company,[11] established by his widow. It is described as "a biographical exploration of the deiform character variously known as Yahweh, Allah, or simply The Lord. It seeks to uncover and evaluate his original identity...".[12] His final book Revelation of the Devil, a companion to The Origin of God, was published by Dash in 2012.

Bibliography

  • Bloodline of the Holy Grail: The Hidden Lineage of Jesus Revealed (1996) (ISBN 1-85230-870-2)
  • Genesis of the Grail Kings: The Astonishing Story of the Ancient Bloodline of Christ and the True Heritage of the Holy Grail (1999) (ISBN 0553817744)
  • Illustrated Bloodline of the Holy Grail (2000) (ISBN 1862047707)
  • Bloodline of the Holy Grail: The Hidden Lineage of Jesus Revealed, Author's Special Edition (2001) (ISBN 1-903773-06-7)
  • Realm of the Ring Lords: The Ancient Legacy of the Ring and the Grail (2003) (ISBN 1931412146)
  • Lost Secrets of the Sacred Ark: Amazing Revelations of the Incredible Power of Gold (2004) (ISBN 0-00-714295-1)
  • The Magdalene Legacy: The Jesus and Mary Bloodline Conspiracy (2005) (ISBN 0007200854)
  • The Shadow of Solomon: The Lost Secret of the Freemasons Revealed (2005) (ISBN 1578634040)
  • The Grail Enigma: The Hidden Heirs of Jesus and Mary Magdalene (2008) (ISBN 0007266944)
  • The Origin of God (2010) (ISBN 9780956735706)
  • Revelation of the Devil (2012) (ISBN 9780956735744)

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Laurence Gardner: Alternative historian whose work helped inspire Dan Brown". The Independent. 19 August 2010. Retrieved 19 August 2010.
  2. ↑ Laurence Gardner, Bloodline of The Holy Grail: The Hidden Lineage of Jesus Revealed (Shaftesbury: Element, 1996. ISBN 1-85230-870-2)
  3. ↑ Gardner, Lawrence (2004). Lost Secrets of the Sacred Ark: Amazing Revelations of the Incredible Power of Gold. ISBN 0-00-714295-1.
  4. ↑ Picknett, Lynn; Prince, Clive (2006). The Sion Revelation : The Truth about the Guardians of Christ's Sacred Bloodline. New York, N.Y.: Touchstone books. pp. 281–84. ISBN 9780743263030.
  5. ↑ Entropic Fine Art Inc – Book Archived 5 May 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  6. 1 2 The man who would be king—from The Guardian, 24 March 1999
  7. ↑ Two reviews of Gardner's book Bloodline of the Holy Grail.
  8. ↑ Damian Thompson, Counterknowledge (2008), Clive Cheeseman, Jonathan Williams, Rebels, Pretenders & Impostors (2000), Kevin McClure, Gullible's Travels, reviewing Gardner's book The Shadow of Solomon for Fortean Times No 203 (November 2005); and Time for Suspension of Belief, reviewing Gardner's book The Magdalene Legacy for Fortean Times No 198 (July 2005), stating that Gardner does not respond to inquiries relating to the contents of his books.
  9. ↑ http://homepage.eircom.net/~seanjmurphy/chiefs/lafosse.htm, Report on the Pedigree of Michel Lafosse, Styled Prince Michael of Albany.
  10. ↑ "Chronicles of the Holy Grail – Official announcement". gral.co.uk – The official website of Laurence Gardner. Archived from the original on 5 August 2010. Retrieved 16 August 2010.
  11. ↑ "Dash House Publishing Company". Archived from the original on 30 December 2010. Retrieved 13 January 2011.
  12. ↑ "Book – The Origin of God". Dash House Publishing. Archived from the original on 7 January 2011.
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