The earliest member of this family found was one James
Digges. His son Leonard died 1571 and his son, Sir Thomas
Digges, died 1595, and was of Digges Court, Kent Co., England.
Sir Thomas married Lady Alice St. Leger (1556-1637), the
daughter of Sir Warham (Worham) St. Leger of Ullcombe Court and
Ursula Nevill (the daughter of George Nevill and Mary
Stafford).
The Nevils are direct descendants of the Royal Houses of
Europe and King Edward III of England. (Sir Warham St. Leger
was killed in the Battle of Ireland in 1599.)
Sir Thomas's son:
Sir Dudley Digges, born 1583, died 1638/9, member of the East
India Company in 1612, Master of the Rolls, built Chilham Castle
in Kent Co., in 1619 and married Lady Mary Kempe, the daughter
of Sir Thomas Kempe, Knight.
Their son:
EDWARD DIGGES of Chilham Castle, born 1620 Kent Co., England,
died Mar. 15, 1675 VA, married Mary Elizabeth Braye (Page) who
died 1691 (the sister of John Braye [1627-Jan. 23, 1691] who
came from England in 1650 and married Alice Luckin).
Edward came from England in 1650 and settled at
'Bellfield', Warwick Co., VA. He was a member of the Governor's
Council 1654-1675 and Governor of Virginia Colony 1655-1658. He
wanted to start the silk industry in the Colony and imported two
skilled Armenians to the Colony to teach the Colonist.
Children:
Col. William, born at Chilham Castle and went to Maryland
in 1679
CATHERINE, born 1654
CATHERINE DIGGES, born 1654 VA, died 1727 New Kent Co., VA,
married 1677, William Herndon q.v.
(See
Herndon Family Addendum)
Ref: (1 v 7), (62), (79 f), (94 v 5 & 9). |
