In 1784, he intended to stand as parliamentary candidate for the Devizes constituency in Wiltshire but eventually declined the poll ‘for the sake of peace’. In November 1795, he was one of the sponsors of the London merchants and bankers loyal declaration of support for Pitt's government. At the ensuing election in 1796, he was returned for Bossiney in Cornwall as a guest of Lord Mount Edgecumbe. In 1802, he appeared as a candidate for Leominster, Herefordshire and secured his election with votes as follows