He was 8th Lord of Stoughton, and Lord of East Horsley. In 1575 his wife's step-father William Hammond left the manor of East Horsley (Surrey) to Lawrence, and they were in possession of it in 1580, selling it in 1584 (VCH Surrey 3:350). In 1587 Lawrence purchased Stoke Manor for £400. Stoughton had been a part of Stoke Manor until the reign of King John, when Stoughton was granted to the Stoughtons, and Stoke to the Bishop of London. In 1559, under Queen Elizabeth, Stoke was confiscated by the crown and in 1587 granted to Thomas Vincent of Stoke d'Abernon, who sold it to Sir Lawrence the same year. The manor courts were held separately until 1615.

On 23 February 1598/9 Lawrence reconveyed the advowson of Stoke Parsonage, which had not been properly conveyed by his father, to Sir William More and his son Sir George More as trustees for Sir Lawrence himself and the town of Guildford. In the 27th, 28th and 35th years of Elizabeth I's reign he was member of Parliament for Guildford. On 1 September 1611 he was knighted at Bagshot by James I, whom he entertained at Stoughton Place.

He died 13 December 1615 at Stoughton, after 41 years of marriage (according to his monumental brass). There is a brass monument in the church at Stoke in memory of Lawrence Stoughton and his wife Rose. [Fulton Genealogy; FGS.]