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The name Digsbey is of Anglo-Saxon origin and came from when the family 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)
The surname Digsbey 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
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Digsbey 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 Digsbey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Digsbey are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. The variations of the name Digsbey include: Digby, Digbie and others.
Another 87 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Digsbey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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.
Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Digsbey or a variant listed above: 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.