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 ...

William Home, 8th Earl of Home (1681 – 28 April 1761) was a Scottish peer and the British

Governor of Gibraltar The governor of Gibraltar is the representative of the British monarch in the British overseas territories, British overseas territory of Gibraltar. The governor is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the British government. The role of ...

between 1757 and 1761. Lord Home was a well-known

spendthrift A spendthrift (also profligate or prodigal) is someone who is extravagant and recklessly wasteful with money, often to a point where the spending climbs well beyond their means. ''Spendthrift'' derives from an obsolete sense of the word ''thrift'' ...

Military career

He inherited the title

Earl of Home Earl of Home ( ) is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1605 for Alexander Home of that Ilk, 6th Lord Home. The Earl of Home holds, among others, the subsidiary titles of Lord Home (created 1473) and Lord Dunglass (1605) in t ...

in 1720 on the death of his father, Alexander Home, 7th Earl of Home. He was commissioned into the 2nd Regiment of Dragoon Guards in 1735. Home married wealthy Jamaican-English heiress Elizabeth Lawes for her fortune on Christmas Day 1742. The couple would have no children, and the Earl deserted his wife in February 1743 for unknown reasons, taking a commission as a captain in the 3rd regiment of dragoon guards in July 1743. The couple remained technically married, however, and the Countess of Home went on to become a society figure, entertaining lavishly at her London home,

Home House Home House is a Georgian town house at 20 Portman Square, London. James Wyatt was appointed to design it by Elizabeth, Countess of Home in 1776, but by 1777 he had been dismissed and replaced by Robert Adam. Elizabeth left the completed h ...

. Lord Home fought 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. Jacobitism, Jacobite forces, led by the Stua ...

in 1745 under Sir John Cope. Distinguishing service meant that he was given command of the ''Glasgow volunteer regiment of foot'' which was given orders to defend

Stirling Stirling (; ; ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Central Belt, central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town#Scotland, market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the roya ...

. He did well as most of the Jacobite forces were in England making their way to

Derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...

with

Bonnie Prince Charlie Charles Edward Louis John Sylvester Maria Casimir Stuart (31 December 1720 – 30 January 1788) was the elder son of James Francis Edward Stuart, making him the grandson of James VII and II, and the Stuart claimant to the thrones of England, ...

. On 11 August 1750 he became colonel of the

48th (Northamptonshire) Regiment of Foot The 48th (Northamptonshire) Regiment of Foot was a regiment of the British Army, raised in 1741. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 58th (Rutlandshire) Regiment of Foot to form the Northamptonshire Regiment in 1881. History Earl ...

, transferring on 29 April 1752 to become colonel of the 25th (Edinburgh) Regiment of Foot until his death. In 1757 he was made

and in 1759 promoted to

Death and legacy

He was meant to return to England on 29 April 1761 but he died the day before in

Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...

. His younger brother Alexander succeeded him as Earl. Despite the separation, his wife Elizabeth retained her title and remained independently wealthy due to her father and first husband until her death in 1784. She was buried in Westminster Abbey. The UK Government has a painting of Major General William Home in its collection attributed to the British school of painters.Major General William Home (d.1761), 8th Earl of Home, Governor of Gibraltar (1758–1761)
BBC, YourPaintings. Retrieved 17 February 2014

References

;Works cited * * * * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Home, William, 8th Earl of Home 1681 births 1761 deaths Nobility from the Scottish Borders British Army lieutenant generals Earls of Home Scottish representative peers British Army personnel of the Jacobite rising of 1745 2nd Dragoon Guards (Queen's Bays) officers 48th Regiment of Foot officers 29th Regiment of Foot officers Governors of Gibraltar

William William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...

17th-century Scottish nobility 18th-century Scottish nobility