Thomas Pickering (c. 1621 – 9 May 1679) was a Benedictine lay brother who served in England during the time of recusancy in the late seventeenth century.

His father died fighting for Charles I of England during the Civil War[2] He entered the Benedictine Priory of St. Gregory the Great at Douai and made his vows as in 1660.

[3] In 1665, he was sent to London to be steward for the Benedictine monks who served the chapel of Catherine of Braganza, the Catholic wife of King Charles II,[4] first at St James's Palace, and from 1671 at Somerset House on the Strand.

At length Charles, although only with great reluctance, ordered the execution of Ireland and Grove, hoping that this would satisfy public opinion and save Pickering from his fate.

A man of true simplicity and innocence of life, he was falsely accused of plotting against King Charles II, and with a quiet heart went to the gallows at Tyburn.