Francis Forde was born in Seaforde in Ireland in about 1718. He was the seventh son of Mathew Forde MP of Seaforde, Co. Down. He entered Trinity College Dublin in 1734 and left with a B.A. in 1738. Adopting a military career, he joined Colonel Aldercron's 39th Regiment as a British army officer who served in India with Robert Clive during the eighteenth century.