David Quidnunc on 2 Apr 2003  •  Link

Captain John Wilgress

He served in the First Dutch War (1652-54) and held five commands from 1660-71.

His first and last appearance in the diary is on 1 April 1660.

Sir William Coventry (whom we haven't met as of 1 April 1660) didn't trust him. An official in the Navy, Coventry was Pepys's "most valued mentor and colleague"

-- Latham and Matthews edition of the diary, Vols. 10 (Companion) and 11 (Index)

Emilio on 1 May 2003  •  Link

He commanded the Bear in Montagu's 1660 fleet. He's also one of the horde for whom Pepys got an officer's commission - Wilgress paid him 30s for the privilege.

Bill on 2 Apr 2013  •  Link

Some further information on the good captain:

Date of Death, 1671/09/09
Blackamoor, 1656-1659, As Commanding Officer
Captain, 1660
Bear, 1660/06/24-1661/09/03, As Commanding Officer
Hector, 1664/05/28-1664/09/04, As Commanding Officer
East India Merchant, 1664/09/05-1665/12/12, As Commanding Officer
Marmaduke, 1665-1666, As Commanding Officer
1665/06/03, Battle of Lowestoft
House of Sweeds, 1666/06/10-1667/03/31, As Commanding Officer
1666/07/25-1666/07/26, St James Day Battle
Welcome, 1670-1671, As Commanding Officer
Assistance, 1671/08/20-1671/09/09, As Commanding Officer

http://threedecks.org/index.php?d…

Bill on 12 May 2013  •  Link

WILGRESS, John,—commanded the Bear at the time of the restoration. In 1664 he was appointed, by the duke of York, to command the Hector; and was removed, the same year, into the East India Merchant, a fourth rate of fifty-four guns. In 1665, he again commanded the Bear, but quitted her, soon afterwards, for the Marmaduke. In 1666 prince Rupert, and the duke of Albemarle, promoted him to the House de Switen, a man of war, taken from the Dutch, of seventy-six guns. In 1670 he was appointed to the Welcome; and, in the following year, to the Assistance. The time of his death is, like that of many of his gallant predecessors, totally unknown.
---Biographia Navalis. J. Charnock, 1794.