 After inheriting the house, he took considerable interest in the local militia, particularly in 1756 when the Seven Years' War made a French invasion a possibility.He aided Lord Townshend in forming the Norfolk militia in 1757, and the two co-authored "A Plan of Discipline, Composed for the use of the Militia of the County of Norfolk" in 1759.This work became one of the principal drill manuals used during the American Revolution.