He represented Stamford, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire in the House of Commons, served as Lord Lieutenant of Yorkshire and as President of the Council of the North and was also a distinguished soldier.

However, he died childless during his father's lifetime (when the barony was inherited by his cousin Francis Manners, 6th Earl of Rutland).

His second son, the eighth Earl (who succeeded his elder brother), briefly represented Stamford in the House of Commons.

His eldest son, the ninth Earl, was member of parliament for Rutland and also Lord Lieutenant of that county.

He was a Conservative politician and held office as Vice-Chamberlain of the Household and Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms.

His eldest son, the fourth Marquess, represented Northamptonshire North in the House of Commons and served briefly as Vice-Chamberlain of the Household under his kinsman Lord Salisbury.

His eldest son, the sixth Marquess, was a Conservative politician and prominent athlete and sports official.

Also, Lord William Cecil, third son of the third Marquess, married Mary, 2nd Baroness Amherst of Hackney.

Lord John Joicey-Cecil, fourth son of the third Marquess, was Conservative Member of Parliament for Stamford.

The Marquesses also hold the title of hereditary Grand Almoner and Lord Paramount of Peterborough.

The ancestral home of the Marquesses of Exeter is Burghley House, near Stamford, Lincolnshire; it is now run by a trust founded by the family.