Henry Digby (Royal Navy officer)

Admiral Sir Henry Digby GCB (20 January 1770 – 19 August 1842) was a Royal Navy officer who served in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Born into a long-established naval family, his uncle was Admiral Robert Digby. Digby went to sea at the end of the American Revolutionary War at the age fourteen.

As a lieutenant aboard HMS Pallas, he received a commendation for rescuing the crew of the burning HMS Boyne. Promoted to commander in August 1795 and captain in December 1796, Digby established a reputation as an aggressive prize taker, capturing 57 ships in less than twenty months. His richest capture came in the action of 16 October 1799 when he assisted in the taking of the Spanish frigate Santa Brigida. Digby commanded HMS Africa at the Battle of Trafalgar, manoeuvring her into the Franco-Spanish fleet against orders, having been instructed by Horatio Nelson to avoid battle, fearing Digby's small ship of the line would be overwhelmed.

In 1806, Digby married Lady Jane Elizabeth Coke, the daughter of Thomas Coke, 1st Earl of Leicester, with whom he had three children. They moved to the estate in Dorset inherited from his uncle where the prize money amassed by Digby paid for a comfortable life. He continued to serve in the navy, was appointed Commander in Chief, Sheerness and attained the rank of admiral in 1841.