Gerald Gardner was born on June 13, 1884 in a small town called Blundellsands, near Liverpool, England. His family was not what some would term 'wealthy', although it would be to most, and of Scottish descent which roots can be traced back to a woman (Grissell Gardner) who was burned, at Newburgh, as a Witch in 1610. There were some accounts that his grandfather had married a woman who was a Witch (or supposed)and that his ancestors possessed psychic powers. His father, who was a member of a family that was in the timber trade business, also served as justice of the peace. Gardner was the middle child of three sons, but kept apart from his brothers as he suffered greatly from bouts of asthma. Because of this his family hired a nanny, Josephine 'Com' McCombie, to care for him apart from his brothers. She would persuade his parents during the cold winter months to let her take him on trips with her to warmer climates to eleviate his asthma. Gardner, while left alone on trips to Europe was quite happy to read and study subjects such as History and Archaeology.
When McCombie married and moved to Ceylon, young Gerald went with her and began working at a tea plantation. Later he moved to Borneo to work, and then settled in Malaysia.

It was in the far east that Gardner became familiar with native spiritual beliefs, which he found to be of more influence to him than Christianity. While in his study he became fascinated with ritual knives and daggers, his favorite being the kris (a wavy blade dagger). He then wrote a book on the subject that was published in 1939 and established him as as the world authority on the kris.

Gardner eventually went on to work as a Customs Officer for the British government in the Far East from 1923 until he retired in 1936.

When he retired from the goverment he married an Englishwoman named Donna. She returned to England with him and Gardner spent much of his time on archaelogical trips through Europe and Asia Minor. In Cyprus he became convinced he had lived there in another life after seeing things he had only previously seen in dreams. This knowledge became the background for his book, A Goddess Arrives.

Before World War II, he met people who introduced him to Witchcraft. Garder became involved with the Fellowship of Crotona, a Co-Masonic occult group, while living in the New Forest region with his wife. Within this group was another 'secret' group which took Gardner into it's confidence. Many of the members of this group claimed to be hereditary Witches, who's family had practiced for centuries which had not been interrupted by the witch hunts. Gardner was initiated into this coven by Old Dorothy Clutterbuck (HPS), just days priorto World War II in 1939.

It was on Lammas Eve (July 31, 1940) that the coven, including Gardner joined with other Witches from Southern England to perform a ritual that would prevent Hitler's forces from invading England. Shortly afterwords five members of the coven died, the cause being the energy that was drained from them during the ritual. Gardner also felt that his health had been adversely affected.

While being introduced to Arnold Crowther in 1946, he met Aleister Crowley who made Gardner an honorary member of the OTO (Ordo Templi Orientis) which Crowley had once been leader. Crowley, who at one time practiced Witchcraft compiled and wrote many of Gardner's rituals and spells which made up the Book of Shadows (a term adopted by Gardner from inspiration brought on presummedly by Mir Bashir's story entitled ‘The Book of Shadows’). However, Crowley wanted to keep his work private and exclusive to Gardner; Gardner was wanting to make it public but at the time was kept from doing so do to the fact that it was still against English law.

In the novel, High Magic's Aid (which was published by Michael Houghton of the Atlantis Bookshop) under the psuedonym 'Scire', Gardner included rituals from his coven as well as worship of the Horned God. The book made no mention of the Goddess. Gardner's covens were also very strictly "priest" led. It wasn't until Doreen Valiente convinced Gardner that women could be just as powerful as men that the title "high priestess" came to be. Remember, this was a different time, when women had very little rights at all. Doreen Valiente also edited and rewrote much of Gardner's original book of shadows (which remained in her possession after his death).

Gardner left the coven after the laws against Witchcraft were repealed in 1951 and formed one of his own. He, in 1953, initiated Doreen Valiente into the coven.

Ross Nichols, assistant editor of the Occult Observer(published by Michael Houghton), then helped his friend Gerald Gardner to produce his first non-fiction work, Witchcraft Today, published in 1954, which also supported the theory of Margaret Murray. His final book, The Meaning of Witchcraft was published in 1959.

Gardner was recognized for his civil service in the Far East at a garden party at Buckingham Palace in 1960. That same year his wife Donna passed away, and his asthma returned. In 1963, before leaving for Lebanon, Gardner met Raymond Buckland. Monique Wilson (Lady Olwen)Gardner's High Priestess initiated Buckland, who would later go on to introducing the Gardnerian tradidtion to the United States.

While returning from Lebanon on February 12, 1964 Gardner passed away. He was buried the following day in Tunis.