David Mitchell (Royal Navy officer)




For other people named David Mitchell, see David Mitchell (disambiguation).






































Sir David Mitchell

SirDavidMitchell.jpg
Portrait of Sir David Mitchell, painted by an artist of the British school between 1688 and 1690

Born c. 1650
Died 1 June 1710
Hatfield, Hertfordshire
Allegiance
 Kingdom of England
 Kingdom of Great Britain
Service/branch
 Royal Navy (1672–1707)
 Royal Navy (1707–1710)
Years of service 1672–1710
Rank Vice Admiral
Commands held
Ruby
Elizabeth
Britannia
Battles/wars
Third Anglo-Dutch War

Nine Years' War



  • Battle of Bantry Bay


  • Battle of Beachy Head.

  • Battles of Barfleur and La Hogue

Sir David Mitchell (ca. 1650 – 1 June 1710) was a Scottish admiral, courtier and parliamentary official.


He came from humble origins, being descended from, as John Charnock put it, a family "more distinguished for their integrity than their riches."[1] When he was sixteen years old, his father apprenticed him to the master of a trading vessel from Leith. Having served this apprenticeship, he acted as mate aboard various vessels engaged in the Baltic trade.[2]


On the outbreak of the Third Anglo-Dutch War in 1672, he was pressed into service in the Royal Navy.[3] He is recorded serving as a midshipman aboard the Swallow in the Mediterranean from 31 October 1673 to 15 October 1674, under the captaincy of Edward Russell. He followed Russell to the Reserve in 1676, and participated in his voyage to Newfoundland.[2] Still serving under Russell, he was promoted to second lieutenant aboard the Defiance on 16 January 1678, and as first lieutenant aboard the Swiftsure on 26 March 1679. Passed over for promotion, he remained with Russell, becoming first lieutenant of the Newcastle on 10 August 1680.[1] When Russell fell from favour following his cousin's involvement in the Rye House Plot, Mitchell remained in the service and became first lieutenant of the Tyger on 8 May 1682.[1] He served aboard this vessel under the command of vice admiral Arthur Herbert in the Mediterranean, and returned home with him in July 1683.[2]


On 5 February 1684, Mitchell was promoted to captain and given his first command: the Ruby. He sailed this vessel to the West Indies, where he spent two years convoying slave ships and pursuing Joseph Bannister and other pirates. He was discharged from the Ruby in October 1686 and given no other command. Eventually he made his way to the Netherlands and joined the group of naval defectors collecting around William of Orange.[2]


Following the Glorious Revolution, Mitchell was given command of the Elizabeth which served as Herbert's flagship at the battle of Bantry Bay, and also took part in the battle of Beachy Head. In August 1690, Mitchell was one of four candidates put forward to Queen Mary for promotion to admiral, the others being George Churchill, Matthew Aylmer and Francis Wheler. Not being one of the two chosen, he remained on the Elizabeth until given command of Russell's flagship, the Britannia, in January 1691. Apart from a four-month sojourn in the winter of 1691, when he was major of the 1st Maritime Regiment, he commanded this ship until January 1693 and led her into the battles of Barfleur and La Hogue.[2]


On 8 February 1693 he was promoted to Rear Admiral of the Blue,[4] hoisting his flag aboard the Essex to escort the king across to Holland.[3] He then joined the main fleet under joint admirals Shovell, Delaval and Killigrew, with the Duke as his flagship.


He was knighted by William III, apparently informally, about May 1694 before he joined Edward Russell, 1st Earl of Orford's grand fleet, but was officially dubbed a Knight Bachelor at Kensington, London, on 6 December 1698.


He was a Commissioner of the Admiralty from 1699 to 1702 and a Member of the Lord High Admiral's Council 1702 to 1708. He obtained numerous royal honours and appointments, including that of Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod. Because of his naval knowledge, he became a close professional friend of Czar Peter the Great. David Mitchell's coat of arms are stated by De Neve to be appropriated for his tomb without justification from the Mitchells of Tillygrieg ('he bears arms, but hath no right', citing his humble background).


During the Grand Embassy of Tsar Peter the Great in 1697-1699 Mitchell captained the flagship HMS York which brought him to England. During the voyage the Tsar was given instruction on ship handling by Mitchell—mostly in Dutch since they were both fluent in it. At the Tsar's request Mitchell was assigned as his official escort and translator during the nearly six months Peter was in London.



References





  1. ^ abc Charnock, John (1795). Biographia Navalis, Volume 2. London: R. Faulder. pp. 105–112..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}


  2. ^ abcde Hattendorf, John B. "Mitchell, Sir David". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/18836.
    (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)


  3. ^ ab  Laughton, John Knox (1894). "Mitchell, David". In Lee, Sidney. Dictionary of National Biography. 38. London: Smith, Elder & Co. pp. 66–67.


  4. ^ "No. 2843". The London Gazette. 6 February 1692. p. 2.




Sources







  • archives at RootsWeb.com








Government offices
Preceded by
Sir Fleetwood Sheppard
Black Rod
1698–1710
 Succeeded by
Sir William Oldes














-

Popular posts from this blog

Italian cuisine

Image
"Italian restaurant" redirects here. For the television series, see Italian Restaurant. Some typical Italian gastronomic products in a window display in Imola Pizza is one of the world's most popular foods and a common fast food item Part of a series on the Culture of Italy History People Languages Traditions Mythology and folklore Mythology folklore Cuisine Festivals Religion Art Literature Music and performing arts Music Media Television Cinema Sport Monuments World Heritage Sites Symbols Flag Coat of arms Italy portal v t e Italian cuisine History Ancient Roman cuisine Medieval cuisine Early modern cuisine Contemporary cuisine Regional cuisines Apulian cuisine Lombard cuisine Neapolitan cuisine Roman cuisine Sicilian cuisine Venetian cuisine Cuisine of Abruzzo Cuisine of Sardinia Lists Chefs Dishes Pas...
Read more

Bulgarian cuisine

Image
Part of a series on Bulgarians .mw-parser-output .nobold{font-weight:normal} българи Culture Literature Music Art Cinema Names Cuisine Dances Costume Sport Public holidays in Bulgaria By country Albania Australia Canada Czechoslovakia Greece New Zealand Romania Serbia South America Turkey Ukraine United States Bulgarian citizens France Germany Hungary Italy Lebanon Lithuania Macedonia Spain United Kingdom Subgroups Anatolian Balkanian Banat Bulgarians Bessarabian Bulgarian Dobrujans Macedonian Ruptsi Balkandzhii Pomaks (Bulgarian Muslims) Thracian Shopi/Torlaks Şchei Religion Bulgarian Orthodox Church Islam Catholic Church Protestant denominations Language Bulgarian Dialects Banat Bulgarian Other List of Bulgarians People of Bulgarian descent v t e Tarator is a cold soup made of yogurt, water, minced cucumber, dill, garlic, and sunflower or olive oil (Chips are...
Read more

Carrot

Image
Root vegetable, usually orange in color This article is about the cultivated vegetable. For other uses, see Carrot (disambiguation). Carrot Scientific classification Kingdom: Plantae Clade : Angiosperms Clade : Eudicots Clade : Asterids Order: Apiales Family: Apiaceae Genus: Daucus Species: D. carota Subspecies: D. c. subsp. sativus Trinomial name Daucus carota subsp. sativus (Hoffm.) Schübl. & G. Martens The carrot ( Daucus carota subsp. sativus ) is a root vegetable, usually orange in colour, though purple, black, red, white, and yellow cultivars exist. [1] Carrots are a domesticated form of the wild carrot, Daucus carota , native to Europe and southwestern Asia. The plant probably originated in Persia and was originally cultivated for its leaves and seeds. The most commonly eaten part of the plant is the taproot, although the stems and leaves are eaten as well. The domestic carrot ha...
Read more