The regiment was formed by Major-General Owen Wynne as Owen Wynne's Regiment of Dragoons in Bedford in 1715 as part of the response to the Jacobite rising. The regiment's first action was to attack the Jacobite forces in Wigan in late 1715. In 1717, the regiment embarked for Ballinrobe, in Ireland, and was placed on the Irish establishment. The regiment was ranked as the 9th Dragoons in 1719, re-titled as the 9th Regiment of Dragoons in 1751 and converted into Light Dragoons, becoming the 9th Regiment of (Light) Dragoons in 1783. The regiment fought at the Battle of Kilcullen, inflicting severe losses on the rebels, on 24 May 1798 and at the Battle of Carlow on 25 May 1798, when they successfully ambushed the rebels, during the Irish Rebellion. The regiment also saw action at the Battle of Vinegar Hill on 21 June 1798.