Digbie History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

The present generation of the Digbie family is only the most recent to bear a name that dates back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. Their name comes from having lived at a local where someone lived by a dike or ditch.

The family are "from Digby, a town in the county of Lincoln, England, so named from the Danish Dige, a dike, ditch, or trench, and by, a town—the town by the dike." 1

Of particular note today is Coleshill, Warwickshire, the home to Sir Robert Digby (1574-1618.) In 2021, his estate named Coleshill Manor is an archaeological site undertaken by Wessex Archaeology for LM which has revealed "one of the best preserved late 16th century gardens ever discovered in this country." (HS2.org)

Early Origins of the Digbie family

The surname Digbie was first found in Lincolnshire where the family can be "traced nearly to the Conquest, and supposed to be of Saxon origin." 2 The name is actually derived from "Digby, in Lincolnshire where Aelmar, the first recorded ancestor of the Digbys, held lands in 1086." 2

This area continued for two centuries as a stronghold of the family as seen in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 which listed Alice de Digpeby as holding lands there at that time. 3

"The noble family are of great antiquity in co. Warwick." 4 So as to underscore this point, we found Simon Digby listed in the Feet of Fines for Warwickshire in 1497. 5

Early History of the Digbie family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Digbie research. Another 88 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1461, 1578, 1580, 1590, 1592, 1603, 1605, 1606, 1612, 1618, 1640, 1642, 1653, 1657, 1658, 1664, 1665, 1677, 1679, 1685, 1686, 1691 and 1720 are included under the topic Early Digbie History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Digbie Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Digbie include Digby, Digbie and others.

Early Notables of the Digbie family

Notables of the family at this time include Sir Everard Digby (1578-1606), conspirator involved in the abortive 1605 Gunpowder Plot to assassinate King James I of England and VI of Scotland and Members of the Parliament of England. He was found guilty and unremorseful, and executed as a traitor. Despite his father's actions, his son Sir Kenelm Digby (1603-1665), became an English courtier and diplomat. He was also a highly reputed natural philosopher, and known as a leading Roman Catholic intellectual and Blackloist. Other notables include: John Digby...
Another 87 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Digbie Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Digbie family to Ireland

Some of the Digbie family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 39 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Digbie family

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Digbie were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records: Charles Digby who settled in Montserrat in 1663; Edward Digby was one of the original settlers in Maine in 1607; John Digby settled in Jamaica in 1661.

The Digbie Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Deo non fortuna
Motto Translation: Through God not by chance.

Citations +

Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)