Hawley was the son of the Honourable Francis Hawley by Gertrude Gethin, daughter of Sir Richard Gethin, 1st Baronet.
He succeeded his grandfather Lord Hawley in the barony in 1684, also inheriting large estates in Berkshire, Devon, Dorset and Somerset.
The barony was an Irish peerage and did not entitle him to a seat in the English House of Lords.
He instead stood for election to the English House of Commons for Somerset in 1705 but was unsuccessful.
He died in May 1743 and was succeeded by his son by his second wife, Francis.