#deane

[wally-b-feed]

Anthony Fineran (B 1981), 'Horse Deane', 2025 #Art

[mikegunnill]

The (nearly) forgotten Whitstable Diver.

John Deane and his brother had a chance to try out an invention when the Bear and Key public house, caught fire.

On previous tests they had designed a makeshift-helmet, made from a suit of armour, with an air-pipe attached to a bellows. Several horses were trapped in the High Street, Whitstable pub, and using the new device John Deane walked through the smoke, saving all the coaching house horses.

John sold the smoke-mask patent, number 4869 to his employer for £417.

picture: The Bear and Key, right.

The successful rescue, gave the brothers an idea to develop the helmet for use, under water. They continued, what was now termed *diving equipment* in 1829, by working on the Carn Brea Castle. John and Charles Deane worked together on the wreck of the Royal George, during which John discovered the wreck of the Mary Rose.

picture: An early Deane diving helmet.

John Deane’s family, lived in a white-boarded cottage on Island Wall, the property was called Free Diver Cottage, but is now known as, The Crab and Winkle. On the front outside wall Canterbury City Council have installed, a blue plaque, noting that:

< John Deane 1800–1884. The Co-inventor of diving equipment and the diving helmet, lived here 1848–1854.>

The cottage which has changed little over the years, and is now, in great demand as a holiday rental property.

picture: John Deane’s cottage in Whitstable. Copyright: Mike Gunnill

During the Great Exhibition of 1851 several officials from The Admiralty viewed and inspected Deane’s ‘new’ diving equipment, along with his demonstrations held in a large glass fronted water tank. The men from the Admiralty would later seek John Deane out, needing help during the Crimean War, between October 1853 and February 1856.

picture: Deane’s warehouse in Whitstable.

John Deane with his family were living at 65 Island Wall, the home of the Browning family, when he was approached by the Surveyor of the Navy 1848–1861, Admiral Sir Baldwin Walker 1802–1876 on the 16th October, 1854.

Two days later, after negotiations, Deane signed a diving-contract, for one guinea a day, plus all board and lodging and if successful, a gratuity of £200 at the end of his work. As a matter of urgency, the Admiralty wanted him to take a team of four experienced civilian divers to the Crimean War. Not only did the country require John Deane for his diving skills, but also for his knowledge of using explosives under water.

The Russians had shuttled several ships at Sebastopol/Savastopol blocking the harbour. Somehow these vessels, had to cleared as the Crimean War was going badly for the British. His diving experience would be tested, as the plan involved placing specially made 1000 lb explosive devices on the underwater hazards. Sailing with him was friend, diving partner 1834–1855 and business partner William Edwards. The pair left Portsmouth on Sunday, the 26th of November, 1854 on board the ship, The Robert Lowe with the bomb cylinders and diving equipment.

Extra diving equipment was also loaded on to the store ship, HMS Prince which was making the same voyage. On board this vessel were two other divers, James Rigden and George Allen, both were well known Whitstable men.

Soon after arriving off Balaklava in November 1854, HMS Prince sank with the loss of 154 men, including the two Whitstable divers, Rigden and Allen. All the extra diving equipment was also lost, along with the main ship’s cargo, much needed winter grey coats, undergarments, socks and boots, for 40,000 British troops.

Deane and Edwards on their arrival, had the unpleasant task of diving on the ship, to see what could be recovered from the wreck.

picture: John Deane. Copyright Cambridge Library.

The Robert Lowe stopped in Malta and then finally arrived at Scutari, in Turkey. The Selimiye Barracks, were allocated as the main British Army barracks for the war. The barracks became a temporary military hospital, where in November 1854 Florence Nightingale arrived with 37 volunteer nurses, staying until 1857.

John Deane had to find replacement divers, for the those lost when HMS Prince sank. He wrote to his friend, James Bell a diver from East Street, Herne Bay to find three other men and to travel to join him. It is thought one of the new crew included William Bell, the son of James who now lived on Marine Parade, Herne Bay and was an old business partner of John Deane’s. The replacement team and diving equipment left Portsmouth in January 1855.

On the 23rd of May, 1855; Whitstable man, William Edwards left the main diving party on a secret mission to Kerch. Located further along the coast, it guarded a narrow passage-way into the Sea of Azov, which was blocked by shuttled Russian ships.

The clearance plans were a great success but not without the loss of William Edwards. During the final weeks of blowing up two Russian naval ships, Edwards contracted cholera and was transferred to a hospital ship, thought to be HMS Belleisie. William Edwards was born in High Street, close to Queenborough Harbour, the Isle of Sheppey, on the 27th of January, 1801. He was a married man with a daughter from his previous marriage, and a Master Mariner. William Edwards died on board the hospital ship in Kerch Bay on the 31st of August, 1855. He was buried in a British cemetery within the grounds of Fort Saint Paul, Kerch.

John Deane took the news of William Edward’s death very hard. He had been a friend-business partner for 25 years, and during the journey to the Crimea a constant companion. Deane wrote to his second wife, Mrs Sarah Edwards and daughter Ann, to break the news of her husband’s death. The letter dated, the 2nd September, was received two months later in Whitstable.

The Edward’s old home, by this time, had been converted into The Lower Hope beer house. Which, after renumbering, is at number 9 High Street in Whitstable. 

Today in Sebastopol or Kerch, there are no British cemeteries or neat rows of graves for the war dead, like other British conflicts. Just after troops and naval personel left the Crimea, many of the graves were desecrated, opened and plundered. By 1900 there were few British cemeteries left, and those that remained were bulldozed and cleared in the late 1950’s under order from Nikita Khrushchev, the soviet premier.

John Deane continued his clearance work around Sebastopol harbour, which included defusing several mine-fields. The Russians had laid a series of wired mines in the main channel, which all had to be cleared by hand.

In January 1856, Deane wrote to Sarah Ann Browning back in Whitstable, mentioning his diving duties. “We are getting on really well with the destruction of the Docks. Frequently using several thousand pounds of gunpowder, every day. The havoc, as you can imagine, is frightfully grand.”

John Deane was officially discharged from Government service on the 10th of July, 1855 but stayed on, to help and assist the Royal Engineers. It was in June of 1856 that Deane and his other two Whitstable divers finally left Balaclava harbour on board the Robert Lowe, arriving in Portsmouth on August 4th.

Deane returned to Whitstable as a hero and a local celebrity in 1856. His exploits had been reported extensively in The Times newspaper by William Howard Russell, who had nicknamed Deane “The Infernal Diver.”  More importantly after two years he was reunited with his children. son Edmund, and daughters Agnes, Caroline and Susannah. John was keen to see Sarah Browning who had managed his business affairs and corresponded with him, sometimes in a private secret code. Their relationship naturally developed and within a short time, they were married in Whitstable.

picture: Sarah Ann Browning.

He retired from the diving industry soon after returning from the war. Deane was a modest, quiet man and he told anyone that asked that, “He had done enough.”

Two of the captured cannons from Sebastopol followed Deane back to Kent. Others were distributed across the Empire and major towns in the United Kingdom. One cannon was presented to the people of Maidstone, in 1858. Number 24386 and sits at Lower High Street pointing towards the River Medway.  Not to be out-done by the county town, Rochester asked if they could have a cannon as well!  It was duly presented in 1859, again by Lord Panmure. In 1899 it was sited to Rochester Castle Gardens, where it has remained ever since providing a useful climbing frame for children of all ages.

Several years after returning from the Crimean War, the Admiralty after much stalling finally paid John Deane, the balance of funds owing to him. This totalled, £1,471. 18s.

Mr and Mrs John Deane lived in Whitstable and then, for a short time in Ramsgate. Sarah Ann Deane died in November 1865, aged 36 years old and her body was transported back to Whitstable for burial.

John Deane married, 43-year-old Ruth Norris in 1868 at Saint Peters Church in Hackney. After a short time living in Whitstable, the couple moved to Ramsgate. About 5 years after marriage, while living in Ramsgate, John Deane had his photograph taken.

picture: Deane and his wife, Ruth at their Ramsgate home. Copyright Cambridge Library.

Their home, was a four-storey terrace property, at Number 90 Hardes Street, which stands today and was owned by the Deane family from 1871 until 1896.

picture: Hardes Street, Ramsgate. Copyright: Mike Gunnill

John Deane, aged 84 years, was buried on the 12th of July,1884 in plot 342 in Ramsgate Cemetery. The large grave holds several family members and can be found in the old section of the cemetery, grave number; HB 342.

picture: John Deane’s grave, Ramsgate. Copyright: Mike Gunnill

Considering the invention of the diving helmet and the impact diving had on Whitstable industry, there are few reminders of the Deane Brothers, in the town. Even less is remembered of William Edwards, who played an important part in the development of diving and the use of explosive materials underwater. His work in the Crimea, with that of John Deane was heroic and helped shorten the conflict.

What does remain in Whitstable, is John Deane’s cottage and a strange modern sculpture, featuring the diver. The sculpture by Paul Richardson, was unveiled in 1995. Commissioned by Canterbury City Council to “reflect local heritage.”  You can find it, in the centre of the car park of Whitstable swimming pool.

John Deane 1800–1884 is sadly, largely forgotten in Whitstable and Kent - which is a shame! There was no better diver or underwater explosive expert in his life time. 

© mikegunnill 2023.

[blackswaneuroparedux]

Modernism asserted the magnificent self-sufficiency of art, and so does Ulysses by its comprehensive self-criticism; but postmodernism asserts the liberating insignificance of art, and so does Ulysses by its comprehensive self-mockery.

- Seamus Deane

On 2 February 1922, Ulysses by James Joyce was released upon the world. It was a work that exposed and expressed this new era of tumult and transformation. 100 years on we still live as a society in the shadow of James Joyce’s tome Ulysses. Ulysses is many things. But, above all, it is part of the nightmare from which we are still trying to awaken.

**James Joyce in discussion with Sylvia Beach, owner of the Paris based Shakespeare and Company bookstore that published Joyce’s book. Theirs was a rocky relationship.

[detournementsmineurs]

Kate Nelligan dans “Dracula 79” de John Badham (1979) - d'après la pièce éponyme de Hamilton Deane et John L. Balderston (1924), elle-même librement inspirée du roman “Dracula” de Bram Stoker (1897) - décembre 2020.

[handfulsofhistory]

In 1851, contemporaneous with Colt's presentation of his revolver at the Great London Exposition, Robert Adams introduced his double-action-only percussion revolvers. At the time, Adams was shop manager for George and John Deane of 30 King William St., London Bridge, and the revolver came to be known as the Deane Adams Deane model. Adams split with the Deane firm in 1856 and went on with Frederick Beaumont to design a new model that could be operated in both single- and double-action modes. In 1857, the Beaumont-Adams revolver became the official side arm of the British military.

After the departure of Adams, the Deane firm remained at 30 King William St. They became Deane and Son when George left the business, and John carried on with John Jr., with William Harding as their chief designer. Together Harding and the Deanes also patented a design for a percussion revolver that could function in both single- and double-action modes. Subsequently, Deane and Harding patented and produced cartridge-firing revolvers.

[deethelionprince]

Am I the only one that wants Dean to go on a rant and storm off then turn around and kiss Rene on the check or something?

Nah, just me. okay.

[elysiumrp]

Samantha Louise Deane || Registered Witch || Pro-Unity Portrayed by Chloe Bennet

Biography /

As the many other lives of children reigning from Council members, Samantha Deane grew up living a very sheltered life that was predominantly surrounded by magic. Her father, a member of the original Council, wanted his only child to embrace her witch side as opposed to hiding it away. Like the few other children of local magical families, she was home-schooled for the entirety of her K-12 years so that she could be taught her regular education and learn to embrace her magic as well. Samantha came into her powers around the same time as the other children, and for the most part of her magical training, she excelled. She loved being able to cast charms and perform spells leading her to study whenever she could and enjoy everything. That is, until a few months before her eighteenth birthday. Samantha’s mother had gone to a meeting with a coven across the city and hadn’t returned. They waited up all night for her, her father even calling a fellow Council member that was in the NYPD with no answer. They received a phone call from the police the following morning, not from his trusted Council member, but the a human police officer stating that there was a mugging and the body had just been found and they need him to confirm that the body was that of his wife. Her father paid no attention to the mugging because he was convinced that she had been killed by another supernatural creature. Those few months before her eighteenth birthday was when the true lockdown began. Her father was terrified that he would lose his daughter, too, and he tightened his hold on Samantha’s life leaving her lost to basically any access that she had to her own freedom and privacy. All Samantha wanted was for her father to let her mother’s death go, especially when her eighteenth birthday came and his leash still hadn’t untightened. She had learned to cope with it, how couldn’t he? She lived under his watchful eye for two years with her father constantly being suspicious and overprotective of every little thing she did. It was all too much to take, and Samantha was already to the point where she was ready to do just about anything if it meant she could escape from his grasp and stop being like Rapunzel trapped up in a tower. Curfews weren’t made for twenty-year olds, and neither were checking in with your dad every hour on the hour unless you wanted a tracking spell put on you. Of course, in a bittersweet and morbid way, her wish came true with the Council was massacred, her father included, and she was left without any parent to worry about her. It was a shock at first, her mind still used to having his eyes on her and for a year, she lived just as she had if he was alive. Time passed and Samantha learned to be an adult on her own, finally, after so long, coming into her own shell and becoming herself. She mourns her parents, as many of the other children she grew up with, and has seen another Council come and go. Like her parents before, she tries to support any means for the supernatural, even the Resistance that has been formed. If it’s for her people, she supports it, just not as watchful as her father was with her.

Important Points /

-- It took over half a year for Samantha’s internship at the infamous vampire-run Nouveau Magazine to turn into landing a job with them. Of course, at the time of her internship, she had been tied to Gabriel Moreno, learning from him and the rest of the staff. A number of connections were made during her time at Nouvuea, and after establishing herself, it was not a difficult decision for them to let her stay with the company that she had already had a firm foundation upon. Samantha had also declared at Nouvuea that – when she was finally able to go to college rather than forced to stay home and learn online – her major would be in Advertising, so whether she stayed at Nouveau or it led her to a brighter place in the future, it would only help. The internship taught her the independence she craved and gave her something to focus on when she felt that all was lost. Frankly, without Nouvuea, Samantha isn’t quite sure how she would have survived those painful and dramatic months after the loss of her father. It helped her become the Samantha that so many people know, and even under the scrutiny it went through when the supernatural were announced, she stayed firm with the place that knew who she was and proudly stood with the magazine through thick and thin.

-- Although Samantha has considered the fact that there could have been some supernatural manipulation in her mother’s death, especially since it was an idea that was so hard to ignore after her father was so convinced, she chose to rule out any other possibility and let herself truly believe that it actually had been a mugging that killed her mother. It was common, and they were in New York after all, it wasn’t that hard to believe. After having a father that was murdered because of who he was, she just couldn’t force herself to come to terms with the fact that her mother might have been killed for exactly the same reason, actually like a foreshadowing for what was to come for her dad. It’s just easier to pretend that it truly was a case of awful, random chance because she was in the wrong alley, or wore the wrong necklace that showed her wealth, not because she was a witch and the wife of one of the warlocks that was in the Council. It’s better to think of it as a mugging, because then that means that she doesn’t have to live with the constant fear that she’s next on the list of whatever, or whomever, it was that took out each one of her family members.

-- At first, Samantha was afraid to support the second Council. Due to the previous thought that it would lead her straight to her death – as it had done with her parents, even if she tried harder than anything to not think of it that way – it took its disbandment to truly support the cause of a government for the supernaturals. With the big reveal, it was scary to know that there were not only hunters after them now, but humans as well. A bigger wave during the ongoing hurricane to pull them under. Sure, she wasn’t as big as the rest of the supernatural that had tried to make a second Council, nor was she the one that had the thought to create a resistant force against the advancements of the human governments trying to oppress them. She was past that part of her life, having had enough of it when her father was alive. No one, whether it be of race, species, or talents, should be discriminated. Sure, Samantha knew that she wasn’t the first to suggest the idea of trying to come up with a plan to counter the humans or to suggest that maybe they should come up with ways to unify them. Others had already done that. What Samantha did know was that she could continue working for Nouvuea, using her skills to further show that no force could bring the supernaturals down even if it were as a mere beauty assistant. She worked for a magazine that pushed through it, she would work with her people to push through the turmoil no matter what. She isn’t trapped anymore and it’s her world to explore and make sure she lives in it as she should.

Connections /

ALEXANDRA JACKSON ; Samantha and Alexandra Jackson had always been close even if their species were different. It was actually Alexandra's father that her own dad called the night that her mother went missing, and though she thought that someone was holding back the truth from her family, she's past it now. Maybe it was for their safety, or maybe for their safety, whatever the case, Samantha doesn't hold it against her friend. Through it all – losing their parents one by one, the big reveal – Alexandra has been a constant, one that still has the same personality and views as she does. They want what's best for the community, but while Alexandra chooses to distance herself from things that are supernatural, Samantha has delved right in it. It's understandable seeing as she knew exactly what she went through with feeling betrayed by the previous Council, so she doesn't push anything on Alexandra for her sake.

DEREK SUMMERS ; Although Samantha never had Derek hang out with her and Alexandra as a trio, Samantha and Derek Summers certainly did hang out together throughout the years that their dads were on the Council together. Both the Deane and the Summers family were prominent members of the witch society, and Samantha and Derek, being close to the same age, were thrown together to hang out more often than not. The Council kids for witches were always fairly close, and atlhough they drifted throughout the older years, everything going to hell has pushed them together once more. Samantha still runs with the vampire crowd a lot of the time, but the one warlock she has still tied herself to is Derek because of what they've been through. In all fairness, besides Bethany who had vanished, he's really the one person she still has that is a childhood friend.

GABRIEL MORENO ; People had always warned her that Gabriel Moreno wasn't as nice as his sister was, and going into being his intern, Samantha feared that it would be short-lived. Of course, it turned out to be exactly the opposite seeing as they actually became friends instead of someone's temporary employee. They spent enough time together that it was impossible to not become friends, even if he denied it, Samantha knew otherwise. That was why it hurt receiving the text that he had jumped ship and went to California without giving so much as a wave her way. She know's he's back since she's heard it around the Resistance meetings at Nature's Botanicals, and in all fairness, she doesn't really know if she wants to say hello just yet. She was his employee, sure, but his friend, too; she deserved more.

HANNAH ROWE ; Her newest roommate since the other one left town after the supernatural was announced, it's Hannah Rowe that has finally tested Samantha's capability with being face to face with a human. With the constant thought of being caught as an unregistered supernatural by someone she knows is a pro-humanity supporter and an anti-supernatural, it's as if her dad is alive and well and living with her rather than a twenty-two year old living in New York City after graduating. There's nothing wrong with Hannah; she's a sweet girl and is fun to talk to. But what happens if she finds out Samantha's a witch? What if something gives herself away even if she just introduces her to her human friends she's made? Samantha's registered, so it's only a matter of time before Hannah finds that out, but then what?

AVERY BELFAST ; A witch that is a sweetheart in all actuality and talented with her powers, Samantha can't help but have acquired a distast for Avery Belfast. Of all of the children of the original Council, Avery is the only one to have made it out alive with both of her parents still intact. Samantha can see it in the way the girl's happiness is always bouncing everywhere and the jealousy of it eats at her constantly. If only she could have the lightheartedness Avery has without the constant thought of her deceased parents and someone possibly always out there preparing to kill her.

BETHANY HEATON ; Holding in a secret about a family member being in town is something that is incredibly difficult for Samantha. She doesn't know what to do when she sees Oliver, and therefore she has been avoiding him as much as she can. They have a resistance meeting coming up soon that she knows she will have to attend, and she's already planning how to avoid talking to Oliver as much as possible during it. She's never been the best with secrets, and especially not secrets of this magnitude, so avoiding is the best thing she can think of.

JACOB NEWTON ; Word on the street is that Jacob Newton is one of the hunters that the government hired to take out unregistered supernaturals. She's noticed him lurking around with Tarryn, but at the same time, the government hiring hunters isn't something that has ever been confirmed. Samantha believes that people are just scared and pointing fingers where they can. She might not be friends with Tarryn, but she knows that Tarryn cares for their community, and she highly doubts that Tarryn would be so close to someone that is only here to take them out. It just doesn't make sense.

SAMANTHA DEANE IS CURRENTLY OPEN