Warren sat in the House of Commons for Midhurst 1856-1859, and was a Master in Lunacy 1859-77. He was the author of Passages from the Diary of a late Physician, which appeared (1832-37) first in Blackwood's Magazine, as did also Ten Thousand a Year (1839). Both attracted considerable attention, and were often reprinted and translated. His last novel, Now and Then (1847), was a social novel of criminality and the law, arguing from a Methodist perspective the moral case for reform. It is realistically observed, based in outline on an actual case in Wolverhampton, but had little success. Warren entertained exaggerated ideas as to the importance of his place in literature.