Pair: Lieutenant John Seaton, Royal Navy, later Inspector of Convicts, Norfolk Island, Australia

King John VI of Portugal’s Gold Jewel, H.M.S. Lively, 3rd Class breast badge, 44mm x 30mm, gold, the obverse central medallion with high relief portrait bust of the King, enclosed by 18 rose-cut diamonds, set upon crossed fouled anchors and suspended from a Portuguese crown; the reverse centre inscribed ‘Lt. John Seaton 3’ surrounded by struck gold band ‘LIVELY’ above a wreath of laurel, with gold laurel spray suspension bar, in its Francisco des Santos Leite, No 24 Rua Aurea contemporary red leather case of issue

Military Order of the Tower and Sword, Knight’s breast badge, 46mm x 40mm, gold and enamels, with gold bar suspension and ribbon bar, in contemporary green leather case of issue, both pieces with original ribbons, extremely fine and of outstanding quality (2) £16,000-£20,000

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, Naval Medals from the Collection of the Late Jason Pilalas.

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These Lively and Windsor Castle ‘jewels’ were the personal gift of King John VI, of Portugal, in gratitude for the refuge he found aboard the two British ships anchored off Lisbon during the rebellion of May 1824. Four distinct classes were presented, each class being denoted by the numeral (1-4) inscribed on the reverse, as well as the number of diamonds on the obverse, fewer and larger the higher the class, and in the case of known 4th Class badges the number of diamonds varies between 26 and 34. Additionally, the 4th class was sub-divided into two grades, one with and one without diamonds. The greater number of these badges, forty-six, were awarded to the Windsor Castle, being the larger of the two ships, whilst the Lively received twenty-seven badges.

Knight of the Military Order of the Sword, Royal Licence 21 April 1825: ‘Lieutenant John Seaton, of His Majesty’s Ship Lively, on the occasion of the visit of His Most Faithful Majesty John the Sixth, King of Portugal, on board that Ship, in The Tagus, in the month of May, 1824.’ King John bestowed various classes of this order upon 6 officers of the Lively and 14 officers of the Windsor Castle.

John Seaton was born on 22 May 1791, and entered the Royal Navy on 29 August 1807, as a First Class Volunteer on board the Princess of Orange. From March 1808 until February 1814, Seaton served as Midshipman and Master’s Mate on board the Ranger in the Baltic. During that period he assisted in taking the Island of Anholdt, was frequently sent home in charge of captured vessels, and on one occasion, while so employed, fell into the hands of the Danes, who kept him a prisoner from 15 May 1812 until 14 November 1813. He also commanded the Pickle tender, fitted as a rocket-vessel, in two attacks made by the combined squadrons of England and Russia on the French batteries at Danzig.

In February 1814 he transferred to the Tonnant, flagship on the coast of North America of Hon. Sir Alexander Cochrane, but in July of that year he was invalided home on H.M.S. Belvedere, and in March of the following year he was promoted to Lieutenant.

On 30 October 1823, Lieutenant Seaton was appointed to H.M.S. Lively, and it was in that frigate, while she was lying in the Tagus, in company with H.M.S. Windsor Castle, that he took part in the rescue of Portugal’s King John VI from the forces of his mutinous second son Dom Miguel. The King was given refuge on board the Windsor Castle, assisted by H.M.S. Lively. In gratitude King John VI conferred the Order of the Tower and Sword on the officers of the two ships, as well as bestowing upon them a gold and diamond decoration referred to as King John’s Jewel. These events took place in May 1825, and resulted in the capture and exile of Dom Miguel, who was escorted to exile in France by H.M.S. Lively, Lieutenant Seaton aboard, after which he was sent on a mission to Algiers and then transferred to the West India station. Lieutenant Seaton took charge of a Coast Guard station in October 1826, and remained in that employment until about 1850 when he was appointed Inspector of Convicts at Norfolk Island, off the west coast of Australia.