Francis Augustus Ligonier (1693 – 25 January 1746) was a French-born officer of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

Biography

He was born François-Auguste de Ligonier at

Castres Castres (; ''Castras'' in the Languedocian dialect, Languedocian dialect of Occitan language, Occitan) is the sole Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Tarn (department), Tarn Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administ ...

,Stephen Wood, "Ligonier, John, Earl Ligonier (1680–1770)", also including "Francis Augustus Ligonier (1693–1746)", ''

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

'', Oxford University Press, 200
Retrieved 15 Jan 2012
/ref> the third of five surviving sons of the

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...

Louis de Ligonier, sieur of Monteuquet, and his wife Louise du Poncet. The second son

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

(Jean Louis) entered the British service in 1697, and another brother Anthony (Antoine) went to England in 1698, dying as a major in the British Army. H. M. Chichester, "Ligonier, John, otherwise JEAN LOUIS, Earl Ligonier (1680–1770)", also including "Ligonier, Francis, otherwise FRANÇOIS AUGUSTE (d 1746)", ''

Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

'', Smith, Elder & Co., 189
Retrieved 15 Jan 2012
/ref> Francis Ligonier moved to England in 1710 and was secured a commission as ensign in the

12th Regiment of Foot 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1 ...

( Phillips's) through his brother John, who had been made lieutenant-colonel of the regiment in 1711. After service at

Menorca Menorca or Minorca (from la, Insula Minor, , smaller island, later ''Minorica'') is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. Its name derives from its size, contrasting it with nearby Majorca. Its capi ...

the brothers returned to England in 1716, and Ligonier transferred to the

Royal Regiment of Horse Guards The Royal Regiment of Horse Guards (The Blues) (RHG) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, part of the Household Cavalry. Raised in August 1650 at Newcastle upon Tyne and County Durham by Sir Arthur Haselrigge on the orders of Oliver Cro ...

(the Blues) as a cornet. He was promoted to lieutenant in the Blues in 1720 and captain in the

9th Regiment of Dragoons The 9th Queen's Royal Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1715. It saw service for three centuries, including the First and Second World Wars. The regiment survived the immediate post-war reduction in forces, but ...

(

Wynne Wynne is a surname of Welsh origin. This is a list of notable people with the surname, sorted by profession: Art, literature, and music * Bill Wynne (1922–2021), American photographer and writer * David Wynne (composer) (1900–83), Wels ...

's) in 1722. In 1729 he was promoted major in the 8th Regiment of Horse (the Black Horse), of which John Ligonier had been made

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

in 1720, later commanding the regiment as its lieutenant-colonel. The Black Horse formed part of the garrison in Ireland, and Ligonier was made joint Chief Ranger of Ireland with his brother and

Lord John Sackville Lord John Philip Sackville (22 June 1713 – 3 December 1765) was the second son of Lionel Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset. He was a keen cricketer who was closely connected with the sport in Kent. He was Member of Parliament (MP) for Tamworth ...

in 1736. Ligonier was badly wounded while commanding the Black Horse at the

Battle of Dettingen The Battle of Dettingen (german: Schlacht bei Dettingen) took place on 27 June 1743 during the War of the Austrian Succession at Dettingen in the Electorate of Mainz, Holy Roman Empire (now Karlstein am Main in Bavaria). It was fought between a ...

on 27 June 1743. On 25 April 1745 he left the regiment to become colonel of the 59th (later 48th) Regiment of Foot, and was made colonel of the 13th Dragoons on 1 October 1745. The previous colonel of the 13th, James Gardiner, had been killed at the

Battle of Prestonpans The Battle of Prestonpans, also known as the Battle of Gladsmuir, was fought on 21 September 1745, near Prestonpans, in East Lothian, the first significant engagement of the Jacobite rising of 1745. Jacobite forces, led by the Stuart exile C ...

after being deserted by his men, and George II gave the regiment to Ligonier saying he "would give them an officer who should show them how to fight". Ligonier held both colonelcies simultaneously, a rare occurrence. Though previously confined to bed with a chest infection, Ligonier took over command of a brigade of

Henry Hawley Henry Hawley (12 January 1685 – 24 March 1759) was a British army officer who served in the wars of the first half of the 18th century. He fought in a number of significant battles, including the Capture of Vigo in 1719, Dettingen, Fo ...

's dragoons for the

Battle of Falkirk Muir The Battle of Falkirk Muir (Scottish Gaelic: ''Blàr na h-Eaglaise Brice''), also known as the Battle of Falkirk, took place on 17 January 1746 during the Jacobite rising of 1745. Although it resulted in a Jacobite victory, their inability to ...

on 16 January 1746. He contracted

pleurisy Pleurisy, also known as pleuritis, is inflammation of the membranes that surround the lungs and line the chest cavity (pleurae). This can result in a sharp chest pain while breathing. Occasionally the pain may be a constant dull ache. Other sy ...

and died at Edinburgh on 25 January, where he was buried five days later. John Ligonier erected a

monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, his ...

to his brother in the south cloister of

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...

. The sculptor was

Louis-François Roubiliac Louis-François Roubiliac (or Roubilliac, or Roubillac) (31 August 1702 – 11 January 1762) was a French sculptor who worked in England. One of the four most prominent sculptors in London working in the rococo style, he was described by Margar ...

and the inscription reads: Ligonier left two illegitimate children from a relationship with a widow named Anne Murray (née Freeman):

Edward Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sa ...

and Frances. Care of the children was given to their uncle John Ligonier, and Edward was made heir-apparent to the title of

Viscount Ligonier of Clonmell Earl Ligonier was a title that was created twice in British history, once in the Peerage of Great Britain and once in the Peerage of Ireland. The first creation came in the Peerage of Great Britain on 10 September 1766 in favour of the French-bo ...

created in 1762, succeeding on his uncle's death in 1770. Frances married Colonel Thomas Balfour (1752–1799) and was the mother of the novelist

Mary Brunton Mary Brunton (née Balfour) (1 November 1778 – 7 December 1818) was a Scottish novelist, whose work has been seen as redefining femininity. Fay Weldon praised it as "rich in invention, ripe with incident, shrewd in comment, and erotic in i ...

.Isabelle Bour, "Brunton, Mary (1778–1818)", ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Oct 200
Retrieved 15 Jan 2012
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ligonier, Francis Augustus 1693 births 1746 deaths Suffolk Regiment officers Royal Horse Guards officers 9th Queen's Royal Lancers officers 7th Dragoon Guards officers 48th Regiment of Foot officers 13th Hussars officers British Army personnel of the War of the Austrian Succession British Army personnel of the Jacobite rising of 1745