JOURNAL VOYAGE INTO THE MEDITERRANEAN SIR KENELM DIGBY, - 1628. - WESTMINSTER PRINTED BY J. B. NICHOLS AND SONS, 25, PARLIAMENT STREET. COUNCIL OF THE CAMDEN SOCIETY FOR THE YEAR 1867-68. President, WILLIAM TITE, ESQ. M.P., F.R.S., V.P.S.A. ARTHUR ASHPITEL, ESQ. F.S.A. JOHN BRUCE, ESQ. F.S.A. Director. WILLIAM CHAPPELL, ESQ. F.S.A. Treawrer. WILLIAM DURRANT COOPER, ESQ.F.S.A. JAMES CROSBY, ESQ. F.S.A. Died 12th July, 1867.1 EDWARD FOSS, ESQ. F.S.A. SAMUEL RAWSON GARDINER, ESQ. THE REV. LAMBERT B. LARKING, M.A. JOHN MACLEAN, ESQ. F.S.A. SIR FREDERIC MADDEN, F.R.S. FREDERIC OUVRY, ESQ. rea as.. EVELYN PHILIP SHIRLEY, ESQ. M.A., F.S.A. WILLIAM JOHN THOMS, ESQ. F.S.A. Secretary. REV. JOHN WEBB, M.A., F.S.A. SIR THOMAS E. WINNINGTON, BART. M.P. The COUNCIL of the CAMDEN SOCIETY desire it to be under- stood that they are not answerable for any opinions or observa- tions that may appear in the Societys publications the Editors of tlie several Works being alone responsible for the same. THE family of Digby is stated by genealogists to have borne originally the name of Tilton, which is that of a parish in the county of Leicester in which they possessed lands. On the removal of their residence to.Digby, which is situate in the adjoining county of Lincoln, they relinquished the name of Tilton and assumed their present name, although still retaining their property in the former parish. This change took place so long ago as in0the reign of Henry III., and Dugdale shadows forth the descent of many generations or Digbys from that distant period. At the battle of Towton, which was fought in 1461, three brothers of the name of Digby fell fighting 011 the side of the House of Laicaster and in the nextgeneration it is said that seven brethren, sons of an Everard Digby, eldest brother or the three who fell at Towton, drew sword in the same cause on the field of Bosworth. Henry VII. acknowledged his obligations to the seven by giving them shares in the forfeited estates of the supporters or - the House of York and from Everard and Simon Digby, two of those seven, there descended two families of Digbys who estabIished themselves, one at Drystoke in Rutlandshire, and the other at Coleshill in Warwickshire. In the reign of Queen Elizabeth these two divi- Baronage, ii. 436. CAMD. SOC. b. sions of the family made themselves conspicuous that of Rutland- shire by having at its head a Kenelm Digby, six times sheriff of the county, and an active, useful magistrate and that of Warwick- shire, under a Sir George Digby, one of the noble band of English- men who fought at Zutphen when Sir Philip Sidney received his death-wound. Sir George earned his knighthood from the hand of the ail of Leicester for his gallantry on that occasion. The reign of James I. was a period of peculiar importance to both these branches of the family of Digby. One special incident in that reign made what is called the fortune of one of them, and over- whelmed the other with disgrace. John Digby, a handsome youngest son of the Warwickshire house, was despatched to the Court by Lord Harrington to apprise the King of the design of the Gunpowder Conspirators upon the Princess Elizabeth, and of the measures taken for her security. The well-favoured messenger attracted his Majestys attention. After a preliminary course of preferment in the royal household, he was sent to Spain as ambas- sador he afterwards played a conspicuouspart in the difficulties arising out of the intended Spanish match, and was created Earl of, Bristol in 1622. Nor was this the only dignity procured by the Warwickshire branch of the family...