He studied law at All Souls College, Oxford and was called to the bar at Lincoln's Inn in 1795.
In 1800 he obtained with the help of Lord Canning, a fellow alumnus of Christ Church, a Parliamentary seat at Bramber which he held until 1802.
In 1809, his wife died and he obtained a posting in India in 1810 as a puisne judge in Madras through the influence of Canning.
[1] He resigned from his position as Chief Justice on 31 August 1820 and hoped to retire to a cottage on the Isle of Wight, but died suddenly at his home at Portswood Lodge, Southampton on 22 January 1823.
[2] He was buried at South Stoneham near Southampton, where a monument was erected in his memory .