 He was a Freemason and was Grand Master of the Premier Grand Lodge of England in 1725–1726.Lord Paisley also studied music under Johann Christoph Pepusch, and in 1730 published "A Short Treatise on Harmony", apparently without Pepusch's assent, and handling the subject in such a manner as to injure his reputation.However, the breach between them was apparently mended, as Pepusch paid a congenial visit to Paisley at his seat in Witham, Essex in 1733, and recovered his reputation by publishing a new edition of the treatise, revised and improved.