As soon as he had come of age in 1674, his father sought for him a seat in Parliament, intending him to stand for Clitheroe; however he was ordered to make way for a nominee of the Duke of Albemarle, his cousin.
[4] Re-elected in 1685 after the Duke ascended the throne as James II, Clarges made his mark in Parliament as an opponent of the King's religious policies.
Starting out as a conciliator, James II progressively moved to increase the involvement of the Roman Catholic Church in official life; Clarges drew attention to, and denounced each change.
Running with Sir William Pulteney (who was a business partner of his father), they beat the two Whig candidates so easily that their opponents withdrew two days before the close of the poll.
[6] Clarges suspected the motives and patriotism of the Whigs, who had fought for the exclusion of the Duke of York; he described them as "now making excuses for those, who most people think guilty of the basest and most dishonourable action that was ever done in this nation".
He declined to fight Westminster in the 1698 general election, but in 1701 found himself in need of a position in Parliament after granting a lease over land in Piccadilly to Thomas Neale.
Sherwin contended that the Duke's mother's first husband, who had disappeared, was still alive making their marriage null and him the rightful owner of the property; he had failed to persuade several courts to support him, but nevertheless started to run the estate as his own.
He was appointed to report from a committee that the Newcastle coalowners were deliberately profiteering, and introduced a Bill to regulate coal shipments, although he did not pursue the matter.