born into a rural working-class family, pickingill grew up in hockley, essex and was baptised into the church of england. working as a farm labourer, in 1856 he married sarah ann bateman in gravesend, kent. the couple moved back to essex, settled in canewdon and had four children. pickingill's wife died in 1887, and in later life he attracted limited press attention for his claim to be one of the oldest men in england. these claims also appeared in his obituaries, although were later shown to be incorrect.