 Edward Russell, mwanakomana muduku wa 4th Earl weBedford naPenelope Russell née Hill, mwanasikana waSir Moyses Hill weHillsborough, County Down uye chirikadzi yaSir William Brooke, Russell akadzidza kwenguva pfupi paSt Johns College, Cambridge uye akabatana neRoyal Navy muna 1666. Akakwidziridzwa kuva lieutenant muna 1671, akagadzwa muchikamu chechina HMS Advice uye akazoendeswa kune wechitatu-chikamu HMS Rupert uye akaona chiito, apo ngarava yeBritain neFrance yakabatanidzwa yakashamiswa uye yakarwiswa neDutch, yakatungamirirwa naAdmiral Michiel de Ruyter, paHondo yeSolebay kubva kuSuffolk pamhenderekedzo muna Chivabvu 1672, panguva yechitatu yeAnglo-Dutch Hondo. 