On 7 September 1759, age 17, he was commissioned as a lieutenant. To qualify for this commission he would have been required, in addition to passing a lieutenant's exam, to produce evidence of at least six years of sea time. No documents have been located to date which would establish exactly when, and under whose patronage, he started his naval career. It is likely he first went to sea as a captain's servant when about 10 years old and subsequently completed at least part of the required sea time as a midshipman. A signature, 'Edwd Edwards', inscribed on a document witnessing the Will of one Isaac Bishopbridge serving "on Board His Majestys Ship of Warr the "Devonshire"," suggests that Edwards may have sailed under Captain John Moore on HMS "Devonshire" in April 1756.