In 1678 his election for the parliamentary seat of Grantham was overturned under pressure from the king, but he was succeeded in securing the seat the following year. He was a moderately active Exclusionist.[1] On his great-uncle's death in 1680, he inherited the majority of the estate and subsequently moved from Wyham to Nocton, where he built a 'magnificent seat' (burnt down in 1834).[4] There was a hiatus in his parliamentary career during the reign of James II, but he then sat for Grantham continuously from 1685 until 1713.[1] The strength of his Whig views apparently moderated in his later years, leading him on occasion to vote with the administration.[2]
He died at Nocton in October 1727, leaving a son Richard and 2 daughters: Sarah and Isabella.[2]