He was educated at Twickenham under Dr Fuller by 1660 and attended the académie du Plessis, Paris from 1662 to 1664.
[1] Wortley Montagu initially disapproved of the landing of William of Orange, but on reports of desertion from James's army, he took a prominent part in the Revolution.
He occupied Sheffield with the West Riding militia, and was the second to sign the Yorkshire petition for a free Parliament.
He was allowed to bring in a bill for a competent maintenance for their children, in case his wife survived him, which received the royal assent before the dissolution.
He was appointed Deputy Lieutenant for West Riding again in October 1688, and held the position for the rest of his life.
Montagu was returned for Huntingdon at the 1690 English general election but made no further significant contribution to the 1690 Parliament.
At the 1695 English general election, he stood down from his Huntingdon seat to make way for the nominee of his kinsman the 4th Earl of Manchester.
At the 1698 English general election, he was returned instead as MP for Peterborough on the Whig interest of Lord Fitzwilliam.
He was returned unopposed for Peterborough at the 1702 English general election, but the struggle to control the interest at Huntingdon with the Tory-supporting Lady Sandwich intensified and led to dispute within parliament.
He was returned again for Peterborough at the 1705 English general election and on 25 October he voted for the Court candidate for Speaker.
As a member of a north-east coal cartel with his brother, Charles Montagu, and Sir Henry Liddell, 3rd Baronet, he petitioned the Commons on 13 April 1710, against a bill to dissolve and prevent further combinations in the coal trade, and through extensive lobbying, was able to negate the bill's effect upon their activities.
[2] Wortley Montagu was returned for Huntingdon on his family's interest at the 1715 British general election, and remained loyal to the Whig Administration and voted for the septennial bill in 1716, but was absent from other recorded divisions.