John Greenwood was born in
Tunbridge Wells and was the third son of William Greenwood (died 1844) of
Brookwood Park in
Hampshire; his elder brother was George Greenwood (1799–1875), a
cornet and regarded by
Frederic Boase as the "best breaker in of horses of his day" whose 1839 book
Hints on Horsemanship was regarded by the same as "the best book on the subject ever done". After
Eton School, John Greenwood went up to
Jesus College, Cambridge, graduating in 1822. He made two appearances for the university cricket team between 1820 and 1821, scoring just two runs in three innings, including two ducks. Gaining a BA as 13th
Wrangler in 1822, he became a Fellow of Jesus and was called to the Bar from
Lincoln's Inn in 1828. In 1847, he became
Recorder of
Portsmouth, and in 1848 became a
QC and the Recorder of
Devonport. He left that office in 1851 to become Assistant Solicitor to the
Treasury, serving until promotion in 1866 to be
Solicitor to the Treasury. He remained in that office until his death on 12 February 1871 at 53
Chester Square,
London; the press reported that he had been suffering from an "affection of the throat" and an operation on his larynx to relieve it "drove the inflammation to the brain". He had married in 1835 to Fanny, daughter of William Collyns of Kenton, and had at least two sons. The
Manchester Guardian's correspondent called him an "able and efficient solicitor ... [who] discharged his duties with signal ability". Greenwood's sons included
Granville George (1850–1928), an Shakespeare scholar, barrister, animal welfare reformer and politician who was knighted in 1916, and
Charles William (1847–1907), a draughtsman and conveyancer; both played. == Publications ==