Lieutenant General Edward Ligonier, 1st Earl Ligonier KB (1740 – 14 June 1782) was a British soldier and courtier. He was the illegitimate son of Col. Francis Augustus Ligonier, the brother of

John Ligonier, 1st Earl Ligonier Field marshal (United Kingdom), Field Marshal John Ligonier, 1st Earl Ligonier, (born Jean Louis de Ligonnier; 7 November 168028 April 1770), styled Sir John Ligonier from 1743 to 1757, was a French-born British soldier and politician who fough ...

. He served with Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick during the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

, and was appointed a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

in the 1st Regiment of Foot Guards. In 1763, he was appointed a royal aide-de-camp, and from 1763 until 1765, he was secretary to the embassy at

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

. On 12 November 1764, he was appointed a

Groom of the Bedchamber Groom of the Chamber was a position in the Royal Household, Household of the monarch in early modern Kingdom of England, England. Other ''Ancien Régime'' royal establishments in Europe had comparable officers, often with similar titles. In King ...

to the

Duke of Gloucester Duke of Gloucester ( ) is a British royal title (after Gloucester), often conferred on one of the sons of the reigning monarch. The first four creations were in the Peerage of England and the last in the Peerage of the United Kingdom; the curre ...

. On 6 December 1766, he married Penelope Pitt, daughter of

George Pitt, 1st Baron Rivers George Pitt, 1st Baron Rivers (1 May 1721 – 7 May 1803) was a British politician, militia officer and diplomat who served as the British ambassador to Spain from 1770 to 1771. Background and education He was born in Geneva, the eldest son of ...

. Her relationship with Vittorio Amadeo, Count Alfieri, provoked a

duel A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people with matched weapons. During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the rapier and later the small sword), but beginning in ...

between her husband and her lover in

Green Park The Green Park, one of the Royal Parks of London, is in the City of Westminster, Central London. Green Park is to the north of the gardens and semi-circular forecourt of Buckingham Palace, across Constitution Hill road. The park is in the m ...

on 7 May 1771, and Ligonier was able to obtain a divorce by Act of Parliament in 1772. He married Lady Mary Henley, daughter of

Robert Henley, 1st Earl of Northington Robert Henley, 1st Earl of Northington, PC (c. 1708 – 14 January 1772), was the Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain. He was a member of the Whig Party in the parliament and was known for his wit and writing. Family Born the second son o ...

, on 14 December 1773. In the meantime, upon the death of his uncle, the Earl Ligonier, in 1770, he became Viscount Ligonier of

Clonmel Clonmel () is the county town and largest settlement of County Tipperary, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The town is noted in Irish history for its resistance to the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland, Cromwellian army which sacked the towns of Dro ...

, which title had been created with a special remainder to him and inherited

Cobham Park Cobham Park is a former mansion and country estate in Cobham, Surrey, Cobham, Surrey, England. The main house was converted to apartments in the early 2000s, but the majority of the surrounding former parkland remains undeveloped. At its height ...

. He was promoted major general in 1775 and

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

in 1777. On 19 July 1776, he was created Earl Ligonier, of Clonmel, in the

Peerage of Ireland The peerage of Ireland consists of those Peerage, titles of nobility created by the English monarchs in their capacity as Lordship of Ireland, Lord or Monarchy of Ireland, King of Ireland, or later by monarchs of the United Kingdom of Great B ...

. The last honour conferred upon him was his investiture as a

Knight Companion of the Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior British Armed Forces, military officers or senior Civil Service ...

on 17 December 1781. He died on 14 June 1782, before he could be installed, and left no posterity. Cobham would be sold in 1806.

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ligonier, Edward Ligonier, 1st Earl 1740 births 1782 deaths English people of French descent British Army lieutenant generals Earls in the Peerage of Ireland Knights Companion of the Order of the Bath English duellists