He began life as an attorney, but attracted the notice of Sir Francis Buller by his first work.
[1] Preston represented Ashburton in the parliament of 1812–18, and was one of the early advocates of the Corn Laws.
In law, as in politics, he was intensely conservative, and thought the Fines and Recoveries Act a dangerous innovation.
[1] Preston was author of:[1] His political views are in Address to the Fundholder, the Manufacturer, the Mechanic, and the Poor on the subject of the Corn Laws, London, 1815; and other tracts in The Pamphleteer, vols.
[1] Preston also edited in 1828 William Sheppard's Touchstone of Common Assurances, London.