 He was elected in 1796, holding the seat until 1831, playing an active role in local politics as well.An independent Tory, he was mobbed in Wycombe for his opposition to the Reform Bill in 1831, and left Parliament in 1831, preferring not to contest the election of 1832.Much given to country life, he established the Bourton Hunt, a pack of harriers, at his Bourton estate in Gloucestershire and was also considered an excellent judge of horses.