He was the eldest son of the former Anne Yelverton and Robert Montagu, 3rd Earl of Manchester.

[1] Among his siblings were Lady Anne Montagu (wife of James Howard, 3rd Earl of Suffolk) and politicians the Hon.

[5][6] In 1697, he was sent as an Envoy to Venice to try to procure the release of British sailors, but the Venetians proved unwilling to negotiate.

He was then briefly appointed Secretary of State for the Southern Department, a post he held between January and May 1702.

[5] In 1719, he was one of the main subscribers to the Royal Academy of Music, a corporation that produced baroque opera on the stage.