Simon Digby, 4th Baron Digby (18 July 1657 – 19 January 1686), was an

Irish peer The Peerage of Ireland consists of those titles of nobility created by the English monarchs in their capacity as Lord or King of Ireland, or later by monarchs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It is one of the five div ...

and English

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house ...

. Digby was a younger son of Kildare Digby, 2nd Baron Digby, and Mary Gardiner. He was privately educated by a clergyman, William Rawlins, at the family estate of

Coleshill, Warwickshire Coleshill ( ) is a market town in the North Warwickshire district of Warwickshire, England, taking its name from the River Cole, on which it stands. It had a population of 6,481 in the 2011 Census and is situated east-northeast of Birmingham, ...

, before matriculating on 1 July 1674 at Magdalen College, Oxford. He was admitted to Lincoln's Inn in 1676, and succeeded his elder brother,

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, h ...

, as

Baron Digby Baron Digby is a title that has been created twice, once in the Peerage of Ireland and once in the Peerage of Great Britain, for members of the same family. Robert Digby, Governor of King's County, was created Baron Digby, of Geashill in th ...

in December 1677. At the October 1679 election, Digby stood as a court candidate for

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a city in the West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its city status until the Middle Ages. The city is governed ...

, but was outpolled by all the other candidates. From 1679 to 1680, he was a commissioner of assessment for

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon an ...

, and a deputy lieutenant of the county from 1680 on. A devout and scrupulous man (he rarely gambled, and donated any winnings to the poor), he took particular pains in exercising the

advowson Advowson () or patronage is the right in English law of a patron (avowee) to present to the diocesan bishop (or in some cases the ordinary if not the same person) a nominee for appointment to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice or church living, a ...

of Coleshill. He ultimately appointed

John Kettlewell John Kettlewell (10 March 1653 – 12 April 1695) was an English clergyman, nonjuror and devotional writer. He is now known for his arguments against William Sherlock, who had justified the change of monarch of 1688–89 and his own switch of si ...

, then known as the author of ''The Measures of Christian Obedience'', to the vicariate there in December 1682. On 27 August 1683, he married Lady Frances Noel, daughter of

Edward Noel, 1st Earl of Gainsborough Edward Noel, 1st Earl of Gainsborough, 4th Viscount Campden (1641 – January 1689) was a British peer, styled Hon. Edward Noel from 1660 to 1681. Origins Edward Noel was born in 1641, the son and heir of Baptist Noel, 3rd Viscount Campden. Car ...

, and Lady Elizabeth Wriothesley (herself daughter of

Thomas Wriothesley, 4th Earl of Southampton Thomas Wriothesley, 4th Earl of Southampton, KG ( ; 10 March 1607 – 16 May 1667), styled Lord Wriothesley before 1624, was an English statesman, a staunch supporter of King Charles II who after the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660 ...

). They had one daughter; Lady Digby died in childbirth, and was buried at Coleshill on 4 October. *Hon. Frances Digby (29 September 1684 – 3 May 1729), married James Scudamore, 3rd Viscount Scudamore, and had one daughter. At the 1685 election, he was returned as Member of Parliament for

Warwick Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined with Leamington Spa and W ...

, presumably, like his elder brother, with the support of Lord Brooke. He was quite active in Parliament, serving on several committees, and was so strenuous and effective a speaker against a

standing army A standing army is a permanent, often professional, army. It is composed of full-time soldiers who may be either career soldiers or conscripts. It differs from army reserves, who are enrolled for the long term, but activated only during wars o ...

as to be numbered among the opposition, and named to the committee which wrote the address against employing Roman Catholic officers. However, this activity was not long to continue: Digby died on 19 January 1685/6 at Coleshill, and was buried there. Kettlewell preached his funeral sermon, as he had for Lady Digby. Digby was succeeded in the barony by his younger brother

William William is a masculine given name of Norman French origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conq ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Digby, Simon Digby, 4th Baron 1657 births 1686 deaths Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford Deputy Lieutenants of Warwickshire English MPs 1685–1687 Members of Lincoln's Inn Simon Simon Younger sons of barons