Sir
Gilbert Pickering, 1st Baronet (1611 October 1668) was a regicide, a member of the
English Council of StateThe English Council of State, later also known as the Protector's Privy Council, was first appointed by the Rump Parliament on 14 February 1649 after the execution of King Charles I....
during
the ProtectorateIn British history, the Protectorate was the period 1653–1659 during which the Commonwealth of England was governed by a Lord Protector.-Background:...
of
Oliver CromwellOliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader best known for his involvement in making England into a republican Commonwealth and for his later role as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland.He was one of the commanders of the New Model Army which defeated the royalists in...
, and a member of Cromwell's Upper House.
In 1625 Pickering graduated with a BA from Emmanuel College, Cambridge and in 1629 entered Gray's Inn.
Gilbert Pickering was an MP representing Northamptonshire and as such served in the
Short ParliamentThe Short Parliament of King Charles I is so called because it lasted only two months.After eleven years of attempting personal rule, Charles recalled Parliament in 1640, under the advice of Lord Wentworth, recently created Earl of Strafford...
of 1640 and in the
Long ParliamentThe Long Parliament is the name of the English Parliament called by Charles I, on 3 November 1640, following the Bishops' Wars. It received its name from the fact that through an Act of Parliament, it could only be dissolved with the agreement of the members, and those members did not agree to its...
of 1640 to 1653.
Sir
Gilbert Pickering, 1st Baronet (1611 October 1668) was a regicide, a member of the
English Council of StateThe English Council of State, later also known as the Protector's Privy Council, was first appointed by the Rump Parliament on 14 February 1649 after the execution of King Charles I....
during
the ProtectorateIn British history, the Protectorate was the period 1653–1659 during which the Commonwealth of England was governed by a Lord Protector.-Background:...
of
Oliver CromwellOliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader best known for his involvement in making England into a republican Commonwealth and for his later role as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland.He was one of the commanders of the New Model Army which defeated the royalists in...
, and a member of Cromwell's Upper House.
Biography
In 1625 Pickering graduated with a BA from Emmanuel College, Cambridge and in 1629 entered Gray's Inn.
Gilbert Pickering was an MP representing Northamptonshire and as such served in the
Short ParliamentThe Short Parliament of King Charles I is so called because it lasted only two months.After eleven years of attempting personal rule, Charles recalled Parliament in 1640, under the advice of Lord Wentworth, recently created Earl of Strafford...
of 1640 and in the
Long ParliamentThe Long Parliament is the name of the English Parliament called by Charles I, on 3 November 1640, following the Bishops' Wars. It received its name from the fact that through an Act of Parliament, it could only be dissolved with the agreement of the members, and those members did not agree to its...
of 1640 to 1653. He abandoned the royalist cause when Charles raised his standard at
NottinghamNottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire, England and is one of only eight members of the English Core Cities Group....
in 1642.
In 1642 Pickering joined the Northamptonshire committee and was most active as "a sequester and a committee man" although he also raised a regiment for parliament.
As the decade went on he move Presbyterian, by stages until he was an Anabaptist, (later during the Interregnum
he voted against the immediate abolition of Church tithes but favoured the banning Christmas).
During the disagreement between Parliament and the New Model Army in 1648 Pickering sided with the Army and kept his seat in the
RumpThe Rump Parliament was the name of the English Parliament after Colonel Pride purged the Long Parliament on 6 December 1648 of those members hostile to the Grandees' intention to try King Charles I for high treason....
after
Pride's purgePride’s Purge is an event in December 1648, during the Second English Civil War, when troops under the command of Colonel Thomas Pride forcibly removed from the Long Parliament all those who were not supporters of the Grandees in the New Model Army and the Independents...
of the Long Parliament. He was appointed one of the judges at the trial of Charles I in 1648 but only sat in two sessions and did not sign Charles's death warrant.
He remained MP for Northamptonshire through the Interregnum 1648-1660 and was appointed
Lord ChamberlainThe Lord Chamberlain or Lord Chamberlain of the Household is one of the chief officers of the Royal Household in the United Kingdom and is to be distinguished from the Lord Great Chamberlain, one of the Great Officers of State....
to
Oliver CromwellOliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader best known for his involvement in making England into a republican Commonwealth and for his later role as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland.He was one of the commanders of the New Model Army which defeated the royalists in...
in 1657. His public career ended in 1660. With the help of his brother-in-law
Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of SandwichEdward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich, KG was an English Infantry officer who later became a naval officer. He was the only surviving son of Sir Sidney Montagu, and was brought up at Hinchingbrooke House....
, Pickering obtained a pardon from King Charles II before his restoration. The original of the pardon delivered by Charles II on vellum in Latin is in the Pitts Theology Library of
Emory UniversityEmory University is a private research university in the metropolitan area of Atlanta in unincorporated Dekalb County, Georgia. In addition to its three undergraduate divisions, Emory has nine graduate and professional schools, including schools of business, law, medicine, theology, nursing, and...
, MS no 109.
Family
Pickering's family came to prominence at the time when Sir Gilbert's great-great-grandfather Gilbert Pickering purchased manors in the village of
Titchmarsh, NorthamptonshireTitchmarsh is a village forming part of the district of East Northamptonshire in the English county of Northamptonshire.It is a very popular but small village which has two pubs, and but, until recently, no shop. A shop was officially opened on 21 September 2007 by none other than Alan Titchmarsh...
.
Pickering's father, John Pickering, married Susannah, daughter of Sir Erasmus Dryden. Sir Gilbert married Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Sydney Montagu, a prominent
ParliamentarianA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a parliament. In many countries the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a unique title, such as senate, and thus also have unique titles for its members, such as senators. Members of...
.
Pickering married Elizabeth Montague, (daughter of Sir Sidney Montague (Mountagu), master of requests) on On 15 May 1638. There had eight sons and four daughters.
Sir Gilbert's baronetcy was created in about 1632, his son John inherited the title, and his son Gilbert inherited it from him, Edward the fourth to hold the title died without issue 3 July 1749, at which time the title became extinct.
Pickering was also the cousin and an early patron of the poet,
John DrydenJohn Dryden was an influential English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who dominated the literary life of Restoration England to such a point that the period came to be known in literary circles as the Age of Dryden.-Early life:Dryden was born in the village rectory of Aldwincle...
. John Dryden grew up in the village of Titchmarsh. The monuments to the poet Dryden and to his parents Erasmus Dryden and Mary Pickering were erected at Titchmarsh by Elizabeth Creed (daughter of Sir Gilbert Pickering), whose marriage at Titchmarsh in 1668 was attended by
Samuel PepysSamuel Pepys, FRS was an English naval administrator and Member of Parliament, who is now most famous for his diary. Although Pepys had no maritime experience, he rose by patronage, hard work and his talent for administration, to be the Chief Secretary to the Admiralty under both King Charles II...
. Sir Gilbert and his descendants are commemorated by tombs and memorials in Titchmarsh church.