Background
Digby was born in London, the son of John Digby, 1st Earl of Bristol, and his wife Beatrix Walcot, daughter of Charles Walcot of Walcot Shropshire.
Digby was born in London, the son of John Digby, 1st Earl of Bristol, and his wife Beatrix Walcot, daughter of Charles Walcot of Walcot Shropshire.
Magdalen College.
He fought on the Royalist side in the English Civil War and died as a priest at a convent in France. He matriculated at Magdalen College, Oxford, on 12 May 1634, aged 16. Another Member of Parliament Richard King complained that the Speaker had transgressed his duty in using so disgraceful a speech to so noble a gentleman and after some turmoil obtained a conditional apology.
During the civil war Digby supported the King and was disabled on 5 August 1642.
He was a general of horse under Ralph, Lord Hopton. In 1660, Digby "a most holy devout person" became a priest at a convent of English Benedictines at Pontoise which was built that year.
lieutenant was noted that "Mr Digby was a severe man to himself, and fasted Lent most strictly and having a great weakness in his head by the many wounds he had received in the wars, was subject to pains in his head in those wounds. And fasting this Lent with nothing but a mess of peas porridge and bread, being a corpulant man became weak of his head by lieutenant
And some day or two before the designed journy, in the night fell into an apoplex, was annealed and died the next day." The convent at Pontoise contained his tomb which was inscribed "Hic jacet umbra, et pulvis, et nihil.".
In November 1640, Digby was elected Member of Parliament for Milborne Portuguese in the Long Parliament. In March 1666 members of the community including Digby planned a visit to England.
