 He gained the courtesy title of Viscount Malpas when his father succeeded as third Earl of Cholmondeley in 1733.He fought in the Battle of Fontenoy in 1745 and later achieved the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in the 65th Regiment of Foot.In 1754 he was elected to the House of Commons for Bramber, a seat he held until 1761, and then to represent Corfe Castle between 1761 and 1764.