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Digby family papers
Creator
Title
Digby family papers, 1617-1819.
Physical Description
0.42 linear feet (1 box)
Language
English
Notes
Accompanied by typed transcripts of the letters of John and Robert Digby.
In English.
Provenance
Purchased from Monica and Fiona Digby on the Edwin J. Beinecke Book Fund, 1975.
Biographical / Historical Note
John Digby, first Earl of Bristol (1580-1654) was an English diplomat who served as ambassador to Spain under James I. He was a prominent supporter of the proposed marriage between the future Charles I and the Infanta of Spain, and a Royalist during the English civil war.
George Digby, second Earl of Bristol (1612-1677) was an English politician and Royalist. Known as a great orator, Digby never held high office, probably because of his Roman Catholicism and his frequent political intrigues. He served briefly as secretary of state to the exiled Charles II.
Sir Kenelm Digby (1603-1665), cousin of the first Earl of Bristol, was a courtier, diplomat, and natural philosopher whose publications include The Nature of Bodies and On the Immortality of Reasonable Soules (both 1644). He also published apologetics for Roman Catholicism, and is considered the inventor of the modern wine bottle.
Sir William Digby, fifth Baron Digby (1662-1752), succeeded to his title in the Irish peerage in 1686. In 1690 he was elected to the House of Commons for Warwick and held the seat until 1698. His sons predeceased him, and he was succeeded by his grandson Edward Digby.
Summary
The Digby family papers consist of correspondence from and to several family members across several generations. Contents include a letterbook containing copies of dispatches, letters and commissions relating to the failed attempt to negotiate a marriage between the future Charles I and the Spanish Infanta in 1617-1623 (the "Spanish Match"). There are many copies of documents by George Calvert, as well as by other members of the Privy Council, and by James I. The volume also contains copies of two lengthy 1645 letters by George Digby justifying his actions during and after the battle of Sherburn; and a 1647 letter addressed to George Digby's sister which describes Digby's arrival in Paris, his aborted duel with Prince Rupert, and his duel with Henry Wilmot, later first Earl of Rochester.
The collection also contains letters from John and Robert Digby to their father, Sir William Digby. John's six letters were written during his travels in Europe, probably in 1709, and describe conditions in the Low Countries, Rome, and Germany during the War of the Spanish Succession. There are over thirty letters from Robert Digby, mostly concerned with Parliamentary debates and actions between 1722 and 1725, including notes on the treason proceedings against the Jacobite Francis Atterbury and his co-conspirators.
In addition, the collection includes copies of two letters from Alexander Pope to Sir William Digby and a notebook containing information on the lives of Sir Kenelm Digby and his wife Venetia Digby, compiled for the antiquarian John Britton and containing many corrections in his hand.
Format
Archives or Manuscripts
Added to Catalog
April 20, 2011
References
Digby Family Papers. General Collection, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University.
Cite as
Digby Family Papers. General Collection, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University.
Subjects
Genre/Form
Letter books - Great Britain - 17th century.
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