Edward Ligonier is not to be confused with his more famous uncle, John, also created 1st Earl Ligonier, but in the British peerage, whereas Edward was created 1st Earl Ligonier in the Irish peerage. He was born in 1740, the illegitimate son of Colonel Francis Augustus Ligonier, brother of John. The family were Huguenots, exiles from France.
Edward’s first military service was with Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick but in 1763 he was commissioned as a captain into the 1st Foot Guards, but he had appointments that kept him away from the regiment. He was a royal ADC and secretary to the embassy in Madrid. In 1764 he was appointed Groom of the Bedchamber to the Duke of Gloucester.
On 6 Dec 1766 he married Penelope Pitt, daughter of Lord Rivers. However she was not a faithful wife; she had an affair with a temperamental Italian poet and dramatist, Count Vittorio Alfieri. This brought about a duel between the two men, however, no-one was killed. He divorced Penelope and re-married in 1773 to Lady Mary Henley, daughter of the Earl of Northington. They had no children. When Uncle John died in 1770 he inherited the title of Viscount Ligonier of Clonmel, and Cobham Park.
Brigadier-General Ligonier was appointed Colonel of the 9th Regiment of Foot on 8 Aug 1771, a post he held until his death on 14 June 1782. He was promoted to major-general in 1775 and lieutenant-general in 1777. On 19 July 1776 he was created Earl Ligonier of Clonmel in the peerage of Ireland. On 17 Dec 1781 he was invested as Knight Companion of the Order of the Bath (KB). He died on 14 June 1782. The painting, by Gainsborough shows him wearing the uniform of the 1st Foot Guards (later Grenadier Guards).
