The fifth and youngest son of James Stopford, 3rd Earl of Courtown, and his wife, the former Lady Mary Scott, he entered the Navy on 8 November 1810 and was commissioned as lieutenant on 17 July 1819 and as commander on 29 January 1822.^[1] He was promoted to captain only 3 years later, on 8 April 1825, and his commands at that rank included HMS Pique (1842–46, in the West Indies and North America), HMS Trafalgar (1850-?, during her 1850 re-commissioning), HMS Waterloo (during her 1851 commissioning, preparing her to be Vice-Admiral James Whitley Deans Dundas's flagship in the Mediterranean, until HMS Britannia was selected for this role instead), and HMS London (during her commissioning January–March 1852).^[1]

Also during that time, on 25 August 1827, he married Cordelia Winifreda, the second daughter of Major-General Sir George Whitmore – they had four children, including Major George Montagu Stopford. His wife died after 24 years of marriage. She died on 4 September 1851.^[2]

He was captain in the Waterloo again from 1 April 1852, this time during her service as Vice-Admiral Josceline Percy's flagship.^[1] He left that role on 5 December 1853 on being promoted to rear admiral, becoming the admiral superintendent of Malta Dockyard in 1855, flying his flag in HMS Ceylon.^[1] He also remarried, to Lucy Cay, daughter of John Cay, on 29 September 1853, and the couple had three more children (one of whom was Colonel Sir Lionel Stopford).^[2] He became a Knight Commander of the Bath on 5 July 1855, and was promoted to vice-admiral on 25 June 1858, and finally admiral on 30 November 1863. He had retired by 9 February 1864.^[1]

• O'Byrne, William Richard (1849). "Stopford, Montagu" . A Naval Biographical Dictionary . John Murray – via Wikisource.