William Digby, 5th Baron Digby
William Digby, 5th Baron Digby was an English politician.
Life
Digby was a younger son of Kildare Digby, 2nd Baron Digby, and Mary Gardiner. He matriculated at Magdalen College, Oxford on 16 May 1679, and received a BA in 1681.In 1686 he succeeded his elder brother as fifth Baron Digby. This was an Irish peerage and did not entitle him to a seat in the English House of Lords. He was instead elected to the House of Commons for Warwick in 1689, a constituency he continued to represent until 1698. In September 1698, he inherited the estate of Sherborne Castle from his third cousin once removed, John Digby, 3rd Earl of Bristol.
In 1708, Digby was awarded a DCL from Oxford. He died in November 1752, aged 91, and was succeeded in the barony by his grandson Edward Digby, his son the Hon. Edward Digby having predeceased him.
Family
Lord Digby married Lady Jane Noel, daughter of Edward Noel, 1st Earl of Gainsborough, in 1686. They had four sons and eight daughters:- Hon. John Digby, matriculated at Magdalen College, Oxford on 10 September 1703 and received his MA on 8 May 1707. On 11 April 1715, his father petitioned the House of Lords for a private bill to disinherit John, who had become insane in 1711 while abroad and was considered incurable.
- Hon. Robert Digby
- Hon. Edward Digby, married and had issue
- Hon. Wriothesley Digby He matriculated at Magdalen College on 9 March 1713 or 1714 and received a BA in 1716. He obtained a BCL from All Souls College, Oxford in 1721, was admitted a barrister of the Middle Temple in 1725, and awarded a DCL in 1726. He married Mary Cotes of Woodcote and had issue.
- Hon. Mary Digby
- Hon. Elizabeth Digby, married Sir John Dolben, 2nd Baronet and was the mother of Sir William Dolben, 3rd Baronet, the noted campaigner against the slave trade
- Hon. Rachel Digby, died young
- Hon. Jane Digby, died young
- Hon. Juliana Digby, married Herbert Mackworth
- Hon. Catharine Digby
- Hon. Frances Digby, married James Cotes of Woodcote
- Hon. Jane Digby