Richard Badiley
| Richard Badiley | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1616 |
| Died | August 7 or 11 1656 (aged 39–40) Milk Yard, Wapping |
| Buried at | St John-at-Wapping |
| Allegiance |
 Kingdom of England Commonwealth of England |
| Service/branch |
 Royal Navy Commonwealth Navy
|
| Rank | Vice-Admiral |
| Commands held |
Happy Entrance Paragon |
| Battles/wars | First Anglo-Dutch War |
Richard Badiley (c. 1616 – 7 or 11 August 1656) was an English naval officer. He saw service during the First Anglo-Dutch War.
He was a merchant, ship-owner, and ship-captain, probably related to several Badileys who, appear in Trinity House lists of shipmasters in the 1620s. He first appears as master's mate of the Increase, at Cadiz in 1636, when he is described as being aged twenty and of Wapping. He served as master of the Advance and Peregrine on trading voyages to the eastern Mediterranean in the period 1637–45, and fought actions with Turkish corsairs in 1637, 1640, and 1644. He won particular fame for one such encounter, where with just 44 seamen he apparently defended his ships from 500 'Turks'. He carried out trading voyages to North America as well, and by 1648 had become a younger brother of Trinity House, and by 1654 he was described as a freeman of the Fishmongers' Company. He continued to carry out commercial activities and leased several of his ships to the state. He does not seem to have taken a direct part in the Civil War, but had strong puritan leanings and associations and is known to have supported parliament, and pressed for freedom and religious reforms.
Of his early service under the parliament, and whether on shore or afloat, nothing is known. His name does not appear in any published list of the parliamentary fleet down to May 1648, but we find him in April 1649 captain of the Happy Entrance and commander-in-chief of the fleet in the Downs, specially charged with appointing and regulating the convoys of merchant ships and proposing measures to the council of state for capturing or destroying HMS Antelope, one of the ships which had gone over to the Prince of Wales, and was lying at Helvoetsluys. The attempt was made with success, and Antelope was destroyed by a party of seamen from Happy Entrance, commanded by her lieutenant, Stephen Rose, to whom a gold medal and a gratuity of 48l. was awarded as encouragement.
...
Wikipedia