Maurice Pickering

Maurice (or Morris) Pickering was buried in the churchyard of St Margaret's Westminster on 30th June 1604. This is the area now grassed over between this church and Westminster Abbey. He has no memorial in the church. He was Keeper of the Gatehouse Prison at Westminster from 1572 when he married Joan the widow of the previous keeper John Parlor in St Margaret's on 9th September. They had no children.

Pickering had been a servant of Gabriel Goodman, the Dean of Westminster, and was an Abbey verger and a churchwarden of St Margaret's. He was one of the 12 new Westminster Court Burgesses appointed by Elizabeth I from 1585. In 1596 the couple assigned the lease of the prison to Joan's son Hugh Parlor and they then lived in a house on the north side of the Abbey known as the Masons' Lodge. Joan was buried on 28th October 1598.

In his will he left money to the poor and gave instructions for a silver gilt standing cup to be made for the City of Westminster. This still exists and bears the mark IA (possibly John Acton) for 1604-1605 although the cover is a replacement of 1677. It is inscribed:

The giver to his brethren wisheth peace. With peace he wisheth brothers love on earth, which love to seal I as a pledge am given, a standing bowl to be used in mirth. The gift of Maurice Pickering and Joane his wife 1588.

He retired from the post of churchwarden at this date so possibly this is why it appears on the cup even though it was not made till later. It is the earliest known globular steeple cup in existence. A replica of it was made for the Abbey and is used at certain dinners.

Further reading about Maurice Pickering or the Pickering Cup

His will is at the City of Westminster Archives Centre

The Standing Cup of the City of Westminster by W.H. St John Hope, 1887

The Pickering Cup by N. Penzer, in Apollo magazine 1960