Gilbert Pickering
Encyclopedia
Sir Gilbert Pickering, 1st Baronet (1611 – October 1668) was a regicide, a member of the English Council of State
during the Protectorate
of Oliver Cromwell
, and a member of Cromwell's Upper House.
Gilbert Pickering was an MP representing Northamptonshire and as such served in the Short Parliament
of 1640 and in the Long Parliament
of 1640 to 1653. He abandoned the royalist cause when Charles raised his standard at Nottingham
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 Rump
after Pride's purge
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 Chamberlain
to Oliver Cromwell
in 1657. His public career ended in 1660. With the help of his brother-in-law Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich
, 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 University
, MS no 109.
.
Pickering's father, John Pickering, married Susannah, daughter of Sir Erasmus Dryden. Sir Gilbert married Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Sydney Montague (Montagu), master of requests and a prominent Parliamentarian
.They 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.
Gilbert had a brother called John
who also fought for Parliament dying in 1645, which means that there were three generations of John Pickering in the same family related to Gilbert thus: father, brother (a colonel in the New Model Army) and a son who inherited the baronetcy.
Pickering was also the cousin and an early patron of the poet, John Dryden
. 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 Pepys
. Sir Gilbert and his descendants are commemorated by tombs and memorials in Titchmarsh church.
English Council of State
The 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 Protectorate
The Protectorate
In British history, the Protectorate was the period 1653–1659 during which the Commonwealth of England was governed by a Lord Protector.-Background:...
of Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
, 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 Parliament
Short Parliament
The Short Parliament was a Parliament of England that sat from 13 April to 5 May 1640 during the reign of King Charles I of England, so called because it lasted only three weeks....
of 1640 and in the Long Parliament
Long Parliament
The Long Parliament was made 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 dissolution until after the English Civil War and...
of 1640 to 1653. He abandoned the royalist cause when Charles raised his standard at Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of 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 Rump
Rump Parliament
The Rump Parliament is 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 purge
Pride's Purge
Pride’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 Chamberlain
Lord Chamberlain
The 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 Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
in 1657. His public career ended in 1660. With the help of his brother-in-law Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich
Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich
Edward 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 University
Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, located in the Druid Hills section of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor of...
, 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, Northamptonshire
Titchmarsh is a village and civil parish in East Northamptonshire, England. At the time of the 2001 census, the parish's population was 543 people....
.
Pickering's father, John Pickering, married Susannah, daughter of Sir Erasmus Dryden. Sir Gilbert married Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Sydney Montague (Montagu), master of requests and a prominent Parliamentarian
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
.They 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.
Gilbert had a brother called John
John Pickering (soldier)
John Pickering , parliamentarian: brother of Sir Gilbert Pickering; of Gray's Inn, 1634; commanded a regiment in the Earl of Manchester's army and in the New Model Army.-References:Attribition...
who also fought for Parliament dying in 1645, which means that there were three generations of John Pickering in the same family related to Gilbert thus: father, brother (a colonel in the New Model Army) and a son who inherited the baronetcy.
Pickering was also the cousin and an early patron of the poet, John Dryden
John Dryden
John 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.Walter Scott called him "Glorious John." He was made Poet...
. 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
Elizabeth Creed
Elizabeth Creed, a daughter of Sir Gilbert Pickering, Bart., and cousin to the poet Dryden, was born in 1642. She married a gentleman named Creed, of Oundle, in Northamptonshire, and, as an amateur, painted altar-pieces for several churches in the neighbourhood, and also portraits of her friends....
(daughter of Sir Gilbert Pickering), whose marriage at Titchmarsh in 1668 was attended by Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys FRS, MP, JP, was an English naval administrator and Member of Parliament who is now most famous for the diary he kept for a decade while still a relatively young man...
. Sir Gilbert and his descendants are commemorated by tombs and memorials in Titchmarsh church.