The regiment was raised in Newcastle upon Tyne by John Price as John Price's Regiment of Foot in 1741. The regiment proceeded to Scotland and took part in the Battle of Prestonpans in September 1745 during the Jacobite rising. The regiment then moved to the West Indies in October 1761 and took part in the capture of Martinique in January 1762, the storming of Morro Castle in July 1762 and the capture of Havana in August 1762. The regiment arrived at in North Carolina in April 1776 for service in the American War of Independence/American Revolutionary War. It fought at the Battle of Sullivan's Island in June 1776, Battle of Long Island in August 1776, the Battle of White Plains in October 1776[11] and the Battle of Fort Washington in November 1776. It sailed for the West Indies in November 1778 and took part in the attack on Saint Lucia and the Battle of Vigie in December 1778. The regiment returned to England and was renamed the 46th (South Devonshire) Regiment of Foot in 1782.