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.

[2] Pigott first launched his bid for a seat in the House of Commons in 1859, when he stood for Banbury; he retired before polling day.

The next year, he was elected MP for Reading at a by-election – caused by his elder brother Francis Pigott Stainsby Conant being appointed Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man — but resigned just under three years later when he became the last baron appointed a judge of the Court of the Exchequer.

[3] Pigott died at his home, Sherfield Hill House, near Basingstoke, Hampshire on 27 April 1875 from a heart attack precipitated by a fall from his horse.

His son, Arthur Gough Pigott, banned the Anglican burial service being read over the coffin, leading to a £1 fine with costs.