An outstanding Collection of Awards relating to the Order of St John

The Most Honourable Order of the Bath, K.C.B. (Civil) Knight Commander’s set of insignia, neck badge, silver-gilt and enamel, hallmarks for London 1898, with replacement gold suspension ring; breast star, silver, silver-gilt and enamel, with neck cravat and separate silver-gilt ribbon fitting, in Garrard, London case of issue, nearly extremely fine (2)
£600-700

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, An outstanding Collection of Awards relating to the Order of St John.

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William Conyngham Greene was born in Ireland on 29 October 1854, the eldest son of R. J. Greene and the Hon. Louisa, daughter of the 3rd Baron Plunket. He married in 1884 to Lady Lily Frances Stopford, daughter of the 5th Earl of Courtown, by whom he had one son and one daughter. Greene was educated at Harrow and Pembroke College, Oxford. He was an Open Classical Scholar, 1873; gained 1st Class Moderations, 1874; a B.A., 1877 and a M.A., 1880 - and became an Honorary Fellow in 1917. Greene entered the Foreign Office in 1877, becoming Acting Third Secretary at Athens in 1880 and acted as Chargé d’Affaires at Stuttgart, Darmstadt during 1883-87. In 1887 he entered the Diplomatic Service. He was appointed Second Secretary at the Hague, 1889-91, then at Brussels, 1891-93. His next appointment was as Secretary of Legation and Chargé d’Affaires at Tehran, 1893-96, after which he was H.M. Agent at Pretoria with the rank of Chargé d’Affaires, 1896-99. During 1901-05 he was Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the Swiss Confederation, after which he held the same appointment to Romania, 1905-10 and Denmark, 1910-12. For his services he was appointed K.C.B. in 1900 and a Privy Councillor in 1912. Sir Conyngham Greene’s final appointment was as H.M. Ambassador to Japan, 1912-19 - a critical wartime appointment in keeping Japan as an active member of the allied nations. For his services he was created a G.C.M.G. in 1914. In 1915 he was awarded with the Japanese Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun with Pawlonia Flowers. Latterly living at Belmore House, Lymington, Hampshire, Sir Conyngham Greene died on 30 June 1934.