 The regiment was raised in the south of England by Brigadier-General James Dormer as James Dormer's Regiment of Dragoons, and ranked as the 14th Dragoons, in 1715 as part of the response to the Jacobite rebellion.It took part in the Battle of Preston in November 1715 after which it escorted some of the rebels to Lancaster Gaol.The regiment was sent to Ireland in 1717 and remained there until 1742.