William Home was born in 1681, the son of Alexander Home, 7th Earl of Home. He was an officer in the Queen’s Own Regiment of Horse (2DG) in 1735, and in 1743 served in the 4th Regiment of Horse (3DG). He fought at Prestonpans in 1745, and commanded the defence of Stirling against the Jacobites. He was appointed Colonel of the 48th Foot on 11 August 1750 and Colonel of the 25th on 29 April 1752. In 1757 he was appointed Governor of Gibraltar, and promoted to Lieutenant-General in 1759.
The Earl inherited his title in 1720 and married the wealthy Jamaican-born heiress Elizabeth Gibbons who had a reputation as an irascible hedonist. She was the daughter of a plantation owner and widow of Nicholas Lawes, son of the Jamaican Governor. Both her marriages were childless, and William Home left her a year after the marriage. She spent a huge fortune on Home House in Portman Square, London.
The Earl of Home died in Gibraltar on 28 April 1761.
