after school lancelot worked as the head gardener's apprentice at sir william loraine's kitchen garden at kirkharle hall till he was 23. in 1739 he journeyed south arriving at the port of boston, lincolnshire. then he moved further inland where his first landscape commission was for a new lake in the park at kiddington hall, oxfordshire. he moved to wotton underwood house, buckinghamshire, seat of sir richard grenville.