Biography

West Digges. (1720-1786)

Actor-manager. Son of Colonel Thomas Digges of Chilham Castle, and Elizabeth West, daughter of the 6th Lord Delawarr. According to The Record of Old Westminsters (1927), Digges already had a wife still living, when at some time he married actress George Ann Bellamy.¹

Educated at Westminster School, London. Ensign in the army from 1741, probably until the late 1740s. Digges first appeared on stage in Venice Preserved in Dublin (1749). Shortly thereafter he went on to star in Edinburgh where he was actor-manager. He debuted in London in the Haymarket in 1777, and retired in 1784. Among other things he staged the first, rather alternative, production of John Home's Douglas in 1756.

Life with James Boswell:

A friend of Boswell's. Boswell sat a while with Digges on November 14, 1762, taking leave of him as one of the last before leaving for London on the next day. Boswell mailed The North Briton to Digges each week during his 1762-3 London stay. He also acquired various other kinds of litterature for Digges (The plays Two Gentleman of Verona and The Citizen, among others (CJJ, p. 62-3, n. 2)) Boswell praised Digges in various journal entries (LJ011262), and was obviously fond of him. Criticized for his acting by some, incl. James Love (LJ141262), which annoyed Boswell.

External links:

• WEST DIGGES - at LoveToKnow

This article was last updated at February 05 2008 12:03:56 CET

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