# William Seeds

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{{Short description|British diplomat (1882–1973)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2014}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| image            = Sir William Seeds.jpg
| image_size       =
| caption          = Seeds in 1939
| honorific_prefix = [Sir](/source/Sir)
| name             = William Seeds
| honorific_suffix = [KCMG](/source/Knight_Commander_of_the_Order_of_St_Michael_and_St_George)
| order1           = [Ambassador to the Soviet Union](/source/List_of_Ambassadors_of_the_United_Kingdom_to_Russia)
| term_start1      = 1939
| term_end1        = 1940
| monarch1         = [George VI](/source/George_VI)
| predecessor1     = [Viscount Chilston](/source/Aretas_Akers-Douglas%2C_2nd_Viscount_Chilston)
| successor1       = [Sir Stafford Cripps](/source/Sir_Stafford_Cripps)
| birth_date       = {{birth date|df=yes|1882|06|27}}
| birth_place      = [Dublin](/source/Dublin)
| death_date       = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1973|11|2|1882|06|27}}
| death_place      = [London](/source/London)
| party            = 
| alma_mater       = [Rugby School](/source/Rugby_School)
| spouse           = Arabella, Lady Seeds (d.1979) 
}}

'''Sir William Seeds''' [KCMG](/source/Knight_Commander_of_the_Order_of_St_Michael_and_St_George) (27 June 1882 – 2 November 1973) was a British [diplomat](/source/diplomat) who served as [ambassador](/source/ambassador) to both the [Soviet Union](/source/Soviet_Union) and [Brazil](/source/Brazil).

==Background and education==
Seeds was born in [Dublin](/source/Dublin), [Ireland](/source/History_of_Ireland_(1801%E2%80%931923)), on 27 June 1882, to an [Ulster Protestant](/source/Protestants_of_Ulster) family. He was the only son of Robert Seeds (1835-1892),<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lyons |first=Dr Jane |date=2013-03-06 |title=Derriaghy Gravestone Transcriptions, Co. Antrim |url=https://www.from-ireland.net/full-gravestone-transcriptions/derriaghy-antrim/ |access-date=2023-06-29 |website=From-Ireland.net |language=en-US}}</ref> of [Rutland Square](/source/Parnell_Square), Dublin, [QC](/source/Queen's_Counsel), the Queen's Advocate General, and Ada Charlotte, daughter of John Le Mottée, of Le Vanquiédou, a [Jurat](/source/Jurat) of Guernsey. After the death of Robert Seeds, his widow married in 1900 Sir William Squire Barker Kaye, [CB](/source/Order_of_the_Bath), [KC](/source/King's_Counsel), [Assistant Under-Secretary for Ireland](/source/Under-Secretary_for_Ireland).<ref>The County Families of the United Kingdom; or, Royal manual of the titled and untitled aristocracy of England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, Edward Walford, Dalcassian Publishing Co., 1860, p. 742</ref><ref>Dod's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage of Great Britain and Ireland, Robert Phipps Dod, S. Low, Marston & Co., 1923, p. 484</ref><ref>The Irish Law Times, 7 Jan. 1882, pub. J. Falconer, p. 12, "Births, Marriages, and Deaths"</ref>

Seeds was educated at [Rugby School](/source/Rugby_School) and was proficient in [French](/source/French_language), [German](/source/German_language), [Spanish](/source/Spanish_language), [Portuguese](/source/Portuguese_language) and [Russian](/source/Russian_language). In his late teens he spent two years (1899–1901) in the [Russian Empire](/source/Russian_Empire) as a student living with several Russian families, studying the culture and language. He grew to love "the real old Russia like a story or play by [Chekhov](/source/Anton_Chekhov)"<ref>[Sidney Aster](/source/Sidney_Aster)  "Leadership and Responsibility in the Second World War" p. 122 {{OCLC|1245303820}}</ref> On his return from Russia he studied in London to enter the diplomatic service whilst fully enjoying the many entertainments that [Edwardian](/source/Edwardian_era) [London](/source/London) nightlife had to offer.

==Diplomatic career==
Seeds entered [His Majesty's Diplomatic Service](/source/His_Majesty's_Diplomatic_Service) in 1904 and served in [Washington D.C.](/source/Washington%2C_D.C.), [United States](/source/United_States), (1904–07), at the British Legation at [Peking](/source/Beijing), [China](/source/Qing_dynasty), (1908–10)<ref>{{Citation |last=C-055525 |first=Library and Archives Canada / |title=Rt. Hon. Sir John Jordan, British Ministers to China, in the Forbidden City to present letters of credence to the new Prince Regent. Seen from left to right are: Colonel Michael Willoughby, Sir Alexander Hosie, Joseph Addison, Hon. W.L. Mackenzie King, S.F Mayers, Sir John Neville Jordan, William Seeds, Colonel Anderson, W.C. Campbell. |date=1909-03-27 |url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:JordanInChina1909.jpg |access-date=2023-06-29}}</ref> and at the British Legation in [Athens](/source/Athens), [Greece](/source/Kingdom_of_Greece) (1911–13). He was Chargé d'Affaires and British Consulate General in [Lisbon](/source/Lisbon), [Portugal](/source/First_Portuguese_Republic), (1913–1919) and Chargé d'Affaires and First Secretary in [Berlin](/source/Berlin), [Germany](/source/Weimar_Republic), in 1919. He was appointed Consul General for [Bavaria](/source/Bavaria) in November 1920<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=32173 |date=24 December 1920 |page=12591}}</ref> and transferred to [Munich](/source/Munich). 
In January 1922, having attended a rally at the [Bürgerbräukeller](/source/B%C3%BCrgerbr%C3%A4ukeller), Seeds wrote one of the first British official reports on the [Nazi Party](/source/Nazi_Party) in which he described [Adolf Hitler](/source/Adolf_Hitler) as “a rabid Nationalist and anti-Semite”.<ref>Carsten F.L.: Britain and the Weimar Republic Publisher Batsford London 1984 p. 109 {{OCLC|12669748}}</ref>  In November 1922 Seeds warned: "Herr Hitler has developed into something much more than a scurrilous and rather comic agitator."<ref>Carsten F.L. Britain and the Weimar Republic Publisher Batsford London 1984 p. 109 {{OCLC|610336604}}</ref>  Seeds was Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the [Republic of Colombia](/source/Colombia) in [Bogotá](/source/Bogot%C3%A1) from 1923 to 1925<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=32852 |date=10 August 1923 |page=5492 |nolink=yes}}</ref> and Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the [United States of Venezuela](/source/United_States_of_Venezuela) in [Caracas](/source/Caracas) from 1925 to 1926.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=33069 |date=24 July 1925 |page=4951 |nolink=yes}}</ref> In 1926–28 he was Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary and Consul General to the [Albanian Republic](/source/Albanian_Republic_(1925%E2%80%931928))<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=33222 |date=19 November 1926 |page=7475 |nolink=yes}}</ref> under the rule of [Zog I of Albania](/source/Zog_I_of_Albania) whom Seeds reported "is not the pallid tyrant trembling in his palace that some expect him to be".<ref>Jason Tomes: King Zog, Sutton Press p. 113 {{OCLC|141380805}} [11]</ref>

In 1928 Seeds became British High Commissioner for the [Rhineland](/source/Rhineland) in [Koblenz](/source/Koblenz), and during his tenure of the post, he was mainly occupied in the arrangements for the evacuation.<ref>Margaret Pawley, 2007, The Watch on the Rhine {{OCLC|1023203159}}</ref> In the article “Lone Seeds”, [Time (magazine)](/source/Time_(magazine)) wrote, “Left behind was a lone Briton, one William Seeds, Inter-Allied Rhineland High Commissioner since 1928, who must represent the dignity and power of the British Empire in Germany”<ref>Time Magazine “Germany: Lone Seeds” Dec 23 1929</ref> In 1930 Seeds was appointed a [Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George](/source/Knight_Commander_of_the_Order_of_St_Michael_and_St_George) (KCMG) by [George V](/source/George_V).<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=33586 |date=7 March 1930 |page=1485}}</ref> Sir William served as Ambassador to [Brazil](/source/Vargas_Era) (1930–35).<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=33638 |date=26 August 1930 |page=5293 |nolink=yes}}</ref>  Seeds' final and most controversial<ref>[Sidney Aster](/source/Sidney_Aster) Sir William Seeds:The Diplomat as Scapegoat? Leadership and Responsibility in the Second World War Carleton University Press,   p. 121-164 {{OCLC|1245303820}}</ref> diplomatic post before retirement was as Ambassador to the [Soviet Union](/source/Soviet_Union) (1939–40).<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=34607 |date=14 March 1939 |page=1762 |nolink=yes}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Russia to stand by peace pact policy - May 9, 1939|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/britain-at-war/5285727/Russia-to-stand-by-peace-pact-policy-May-9-1939.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925040509/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/britain-at-war/5285727/Russia-to-stand-by-peace-pact-policy-May-9-1939.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=25 September 2015|accessdate=6 September 2015|work=The Telegraph|date=9 May 2009}}</ref> During this time he tried to negotiate with Soviet Foreign Minister [Vyacheslav Molotov](/source/Vyacheslav_Molotov) to form a [collective security](/source/collective_security) pact between the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union in the months before [World War II](/source/World_War_II), which ended when the Soviet Union instead signed the [Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact](/source/Molotov%E2%80%93Ribbentrop_Pact) with Nazi Germany.<ref>Bouverie, Tim (2019). ''Appeasement: Chamberlain, Hitler, Churchill, and the Road to War'' (1 ed.). New York: [Tim Duggan Books](/source/Tim_Duggan_Books). p. 350. {{ISBN|978-0-451-49984-4}}. {{OCLC|1042099346}}.</ref>

==Family==
On 17 November 1911, Seeds married Arabella Agnes Muriel (1883–1979), daughter of Theobald Butler, a descendant of [James Butler, 2nd/ 12th Baron Dunboyne](/source/Baron_Dunboyne).<ref>Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage, 107th ed., vol. 1, ed. Charles Mosley, Burke's Peerage Ltd, 2003, p. 1215</ref> They had three sons and one daughter. Their eldest son, Robert Seeds<ref>Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage, ed. Patrick W. Montague-Smith, Debrett's Peerage Ltd, 1980, p. P-396</ref>(1914–1991), a Major in the [Intelligence Corps (United Kingdom)](/source/Intelligence_Corps_(United_Kingdom)) who lost his left hand in 1941 whilst detonating a bomb for the [Special Operations Executive](/source/Special_Operations_Executive),<ref>Daniel Cordier: Alias Caracalla Gallimard, Press, 2009 p.249,255,262-3,267-8 {{OCLC|937041438}}</ref>  was a university professor and journalist working in and for [Saudi Arabia](/source/Saudi_Arabia) from 1959 until his death.<ref>The Times May 9, 1967 VII-VIII</ref>  Their second son Hugh<ref>Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage, ed. Patrick W. Montague-Smith, Debrett's Peerage Ltd, 1980, p. P-396</ref> (1917-2010) initially joined the [Royal Navy](/source/Royal_Navy) then became a [conscientious objector](/source/conscientious_objector) and emigrated to [New Zealand](/source/Dominion_of_New_Zealand) after the war. The youngest son, James (1919-1940), served as a Pilot Officer in the [Royal Air Force](/source/Royal_Air_Force), and was killed in action at the age of 20.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000563/19410426/065/0006 |title=Register |access-date=7 August 2023 |url-access=subscription |via=[British Newspaper Archive](/source/British_Newspaper_Archive)}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.rafcommands.com/database/wardead/details.php?qnum=109273 | title=Pilot Officer J SEEDS (33445), Royal Air Force) &#91;Royal Air Force WW2 Casualty &#93; }}</ref>

Their daughter Sheila<ref>Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage, ed. Patrick W. Montague-Smith, Debrett's Peerage Ltd, 1980, p. P-396</ref> (1912-2005), worked at [MI5](/source/MI5) headquarters in [HMP Wormwood Scrubs](/source/Wormwood_Scrubs_(HM_Prison)) during the war years.{{citation needed|date=December 2022}} She married first, in 1934 (divorcing in 1949), Sir John Fisher Wentworth [Dilke](/source/Dilke_baronets), 5th Baronet, and had two sons, who each succeeded to the baronetcy. Her elder son, Charles, was a Catholic priest at the [Brompton Oratory](/source/Brompton_Oratory), and died unmarried and without issue. Charles' brother, Dr.Timothy Dilke, a consultant rheumatologist, is expected to succeed him as the 7th Baronet.<ref>Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage, 107th ed., vol. 1, ed. Charles Mosley, Burke's Peerage Ltd, 2003, p. 1146</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Obituaries |first=Telegraph |date=2022-12-12 |title=Father Charles Dilke, veteran and much-loved priest of the Brompton Oratory – obituary |language=en-GB |work=The Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2022/12/12/father-charles-dilke-veteran-much-loved-priest-brompton-oratory/ |access-date=2023-06-29 |issn=0307-1235}}</ref>

==Death and legacy==
Seeds died peacefully in his home in [St. John's Wood, London](/source/St_John's_Wood) at the age of 91 on 2 November 1973<ref>Obituaries "The Times" and "The Telegraph" 3 November 1973</ref> and was buried in the Seeds family graveyard in [Derriaghy](/source/Derriaghy), [Lisburn](/source/Lisburn), [Northern Ireland](/source/Northern_Ireland).<ref>W.N.C. Barr: Derriaghy: A Short History of the Parish 1974 p. 85 {{OCLC|6901639}}</ref> There is a memorial to Seeds and his wife at Lymington Church, Hampshire, where they were regular worshippers.<ref>The Annotated Capital, [Lida Lopes Cardozo Kindersley](/source/Lida_Lopes_Cardozo_Kindersley), Cambridge University Press, 2009, p. 12{{OCLC|491886376}}</ref>

A collector of [Chinese](/source/Chinese_art) and [Russian art](/source/Russian_art)works, he bequeathed a Carl [Fabergé](/source/Faberg%C3%A9) gold, enamel and diamond presentation box to the [Victoria and Albert Museum](/source/Victoria_and_Albert_Museum)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O113675/box/|title = Box &#124; Perkhin, Mikhail &#124; V&A Explore the Collections}}</ref> where it is on display (room 91, case 56,) to whom he had also intended to bequeath his collection of 10 Fabergé hardstone figurines<ref>https://fabergeresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/3rdintfabsympresention1.pdf page 8</ref> who he referred to as “my little men” in his diaries and conversations.

Seeds' extensive papers, diaries and photographs are kept by his granddaughter, Corinna Seeds,<ref>Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage, ed. Patrick W. Montague-Smith, Debrett's Peerage Ltd, 1980, p. P-396</ref> on [Hydra (island)](/source/Hydra_(island)) in Greece,<ref>Corinna Seeds, Theatre Director, Hydrama Theatre, PO Box 9, Hydra, Greece 18040</ref> and can be viewed and referenced on request.<ref>Brian Farrell, Leadership and Responsibility in the Second World War, Carleton University Press, p. 151 {{OCLC|1245303820}}</ref><ref>Ivan Maisky, The Maisky Diaries, by Ivan Yale University Press, p. 562 {{OCLC|1302154281}}</ref>

==Arms==
{{Infobox COA wide
|image = Sir William Seeds Escutcheon.png
|notes = Granted 20 January 1928 by [Sir Nevile Rodwell Wilkinson](/source/Sir_Nevile_Rodwell_Wilkinson), [Ulster King of Arms](/source/Ulster_King_of_Arms).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000810941/StaffViewMARC#tabnav |publisher=National Library of Ireland |accessdate=24 August 2022 |title=Grants and Confirmations of Arms Volume M |page=230}}</ref>
|escutcheon = Ermine two pales Azure charged with six plates on a chief Argent three roses Gules.
|crest = On a wreath of the colours a hand erect holding six ears of wheat and charged at the wrist with a plate Proper.
|mantling = Gules doubled Argent.
|motto = Pax Et Copia}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Seeds, William Sir}}
Category:1882 births
Category:1973 deaths
Category:People educated at Rugby School
Category:Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
Category:Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Brazil
Category:Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to the Soviet Union
Category:Members of HM Diplomatic Service
Category:Diplomats from Dublin (city)
Category:Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Colombia
Category:Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Venezuela
Category:20th-century British diplomats
Category:Inter-Allied Rhineland High Commission

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [William Seeds](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Seeds) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Seeds?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.