[2] He was the eldest son of the diplomat Sir Philip Meadowes (1672-1757), of Brompton, Kensington,[3] and his wife Dorothy, daughter of Edward Boscawen.
Earl Sandwich's grandson - Edward Montagu - and his wife Elizabeth, leader of the Blue Stockings Society, were Meadows' brother and sister-in-law.
Despite not "giving notice to the queen or her father", Charlotte kept the peace and generously gave "her late maid of honour a thousand pounds".
In 1757 he succeeded his father and in 1758 he was appointed Knight Marshal, one of the judges (along with the Lord Steward of the Household) of the Marshalsea Court.
Hester Thrale, celebrated member of the Blue Stockings Society, observed both his horses and his equestrian skills favourably when visiting him at his "riding house".