Gilbert Pickering was born in 1613, the son of Sir John Pickering, knt., of Titchmarsh, Northamptonshire by his wife Susannah, daughter of Sir Erasmus Dryden. Little is known of his early life and education. Pickering became a member of Parliament for the county of Northampton. He represented this county in the Short Parliament (April 13 to May 5, 1640) and the Long Parliament (November 1640 to April 1653). When Charles raised his standard at Nottingham on August 22, 1642, Pickering abandoned the king for the parliamentary cause. He was appointed to the parliamentary committee and, in 1648, was appointed one of the judges in the trial of Charles I.
Pickering remained the representative for Northampton through the Interregnum (1648-1660) and was appointed lord chamberlain to Oliver Cromwell, the Protector, in 1657. His public career ended with the restoration of the Stuarts in 1660. His brother-in-law, Edward Montagu, earl of Sandwich, influenced Pickering's removal from the list of Cromwellian supporters who would be punished by the Act of Indemnity and Oblivion (1660) and helped obtain his pardon from Charles II. Pickering was barred from holding public office for the remainer of his life. He died on October 21, 1668.
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