English Naval Officer: Barron Wilde (or Wild)

Barron Wilde (or Wild) served in the English navy. He was appointed as a lieutenant on the Oxford on 2 June 1683 by the Commissioners. He was promoted to Captain on 23 February 1684 (they called it 1683, in the old style). The Lord Dartmouth appointed him to command the Drake. On 25 September 1688, the King appointed him to command the Merlin yacht. Syrett and DiNardo have rather different dates. They say that he was appointed as a lieutenant on 2 January 1683 and to Captain on 25 February 1694. He fought in the Battle of Velez Malaga on August 13, 1704. He commanded the Ferme (70 guns). The Ferme had 25 killed and 48 wounded in the battle. In 1707, in command of the Royal Oak (76 guns), he fought in an action against Forbin. The Royal Oak was heavily damaged, but was saved. The Hampton Court and Grafton were taken by the French. Still in the Royal Oak, he fought an action with other convoyers with De Quay Trouin and Forbin. Captain Wild (or Wyld) again survived the battle, but was accused of misbehavior. Ultimately, he was restored to the service, but this is the last incident that I know about him. Andrew says that he died in 1733, when he was a Rear-Admiral. Sources:

1. William Laird Clowes, The Royal Navy: A History from the Earliest Times to the Present, Vol.II, 1898
2. J.R. Tanner, A Descriptive Catalogue of the Naval Manuscripts in the Pepysian Library at Magdalene College, Cambridge, Vol.I, 1903