title: Francis Pilkington
text: # Francis Pilkington
  
  Francis Pilkington (ca. 1565 – 1638) was an English classical composer, lutenist and singer, of the Renaissance and Baroque period. Pilkington received a B.Mus. degree from Oxford in 1595. In 1602 he became a singing man at Chester Cathedral and spent the rest of his life serving the cathedral. He became a minor canon in 1612, took holy orders in 1614 and was named precentor of the cathedral in 1623. Although he was a churchman, Pilkington composed largely secular music—ayres, madrigals, and lute songs. He died in Chester.
  
  ## Sources
  
  * Brief biographical sketch of Francis Pilkington in the Grove Concise Dictionary of Music, 1994, Oxford University Press.
  