Vice-Admiral Sir David Mitchell ( – 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". 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. On the outbreak of the Third Anglo-Dutch War in 1672, he was pressed into service in the Royal Navy. He is recorded serving as a midshipman aboard the in the Mediterranean from 31 October 1673 to 15 October 1674, under the captaincy of Edward Russell. He followed Russell to the in 1676, and participated in his voyage to Newfoundland. Still serving under Russell, he was promoted to second lieutenant aboard the on 16 January 1678, and as first lieutenant aboard the on 26 March 1679. Passed over for promotion, he remained with Russell, becoming first lieutenant of the on 10 August 1680. 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 on 8 May 1682. He served aboard this vessel under the command of vice admiral Arthur Herbert in the Mediterranean, and returned home with him in July 1683. On 5 February 1684, Mitchell was promoted to captain and given his first command: the . 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. Following the Glorious Revolution, Mitchell was given command of the 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 , in January 1691. Apart from a four-month sojourn in the winter of 1691, when he was major of