Sir Gillery Pigott (18 September 1813 – 27 April 1875) was a British

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

politician and judge.

Early life and family

Born in Oxford in 1813, Pigott was the fourth son of Paynton Pigott (later Stainsby-Conant) and Lucy, third daughter of Richard Drope Gough. He was educated in

Putney Putney () is an affluent district in southwest London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. History Putney is an ...

at the school of Reverend William Carmalt. In 1836, he married Frances, daughter of Thomas Drake, and they had eight children: two sons and six daughters.

Legal career

Pigott launched his legal career in 1836 when he entered the

Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court entitled to Call to the bar, call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple (with whi ...

, and three years later he was called to the bar and entered the Oxford circuit. There, he worked with H Rodwell to serialise reports of appeals from revising barristers between 1844 and 1846. In 1854, he was made counsel to the

Inland Revenue The Inland Revenue was, until April 2005, a department of the British Government responsible for the collection of direct taxation, including income tax, national insurance contributions, capital gains tax, inheritance tax, corporation ta ...

and in 1856, he became serjeant, receiving a patent of precedence the following year. From December 1857 to December 1862, he was recorder of Hereford. Pigott was made a Baron of the

Court of the Exchequer The Exchequer of Pleas, or Court of Exchequer, was a court that dealt with matters of equity, a set of legal principles based on natural law and common law in England and Wales. Originally part of the , or King's Council, the Exchequer of Plea ...

on 3 October 1863, and was knighted on 1 November. The appointment was initially received with disfavour by the bar, but he became well-liked and recognised for strict impartiality and conscientiousness in his arbitration.

Political career

Pigott first launched his bid for a seat in the House of Commons in 1859, when he stood for

Banbury Banbury is an historic market town and civil parish on the River Cherwell in Oxfordshire, South East England. The parish had a population of 54,335 at the 2021 Census. Banbury is a significant commercial and retail centre for the surrounding ...

; he retired before polling day. The next year, he was elected MP for

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...

at a

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...

– caused by his elder brother

Francis Pigott Stainsby Conant Francis Pigott Stainsby Conant (1809 – 21 January 1863) was a British Whig politician who became the Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man from 22 October 1860 until his sudden death in 1863. Biography Francis Pigott was born at Trunkwe ...

being appointed

Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man The lieutenant governor of the Isle of Man ( or ''lhiass-chiannoort vannin'') is the Lord of Mann's official personal representative in the Isle of Man. He has the power to grant royal assent and is styled "His Excellency". No Manx-born perso ...

— but resigned just under three years later when he became the last baron appointed a judge of the

. During his brief period in parliament, he made a notable effort to introduce a law correcting anomalies in Jersey law.

Death

Pigott died at his home, Sherfield Hill House, near

Basingstoke Basingstoke ( ) is a town in Hampshire, situated in south-central England across a valley at the source of the River Loddon on the western edge of the North Downs. It is the largest settlement in Hampshire without city status in the United King ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

on 27 April 1875 from a heart attack precipitated by a fall from his horse. He was buried at the parish church at Sherfield upon Lodden the next day. His son, Arthur Gough Pigott, banned the Anglican burial service being read over the coffin, leading to a £1 fine with costs.

Arms

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pigott, Gillery Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Reading Politicians from Oxford UK MPs 1859–1865 1813 births 1875 deaths People from Sherfield on Loddon