He was the fourth son of Sir Thomas Strickland of Sizergh and his second wife, Winifred Trentham, daughter and co-heiress of Sir Christopher Trentham of Rocester Abbey.

He was brought up in France, where his family had fled at the Glorious Revolution.

He lived in London for some years, where he endeavoured to effect reconciliation between the English Catholics and the government, but unsuccessfully.

Notwithstanding his family's long record of loyalty to the Stuarts and the Church, they attacked him as an enemy of the Catholic faith.

He resided at Rome for some years as an agent of the English government, and was employed by the Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI, who had high personal regard for him, sent him in 1734 on a mission to England in connection with a vain attempt to create war with France.