William Deans (baptised 31 January 1817 – 23 July 1851) was, together with his brother

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

, a pioneer farmer in

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...

, New Zealand. He was born in Kirkstyle,

Riccarton Riccarton may refer to: New Zealand * Riccarton, New Zealand, a suburb of Christchurch ** Riccarton (New Zealand electorate), the electorate named after it ** The location of Riccarton Race Course * a locality on the Taieri Plains in Otago Scotlan ...

, Scotland. Their Riccarton farm in New Zealand was the first permanent settlement by immigrants on the

Canterbury Plains The Canterbury Plains () are an area in New Zealand centred in the Mid Canterbury, to the south of the city of Christchurch in the Canterbury region. Their northern extremes are at the foot of the Hundalee Hills in the Hurunui District, and in t ...

. Deans emigrated to

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

, New Zealand, after buying land orders from the

New Zealand Company The New Zealand Company, chartered in the United Kingdom, was a company that existed in the first half of the 19th century on a business model focused on the systematic colonisation of New Zealand. The company was formed to carry out the principl ...

in 1839. He arrived in what was then known as Port Nicholson ( Wellington Harbour) on 22 January 1840 on the ''

Aurora An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...

''. Disappointed with what he found at Wellington, he started looking for other land. In

Port Levy Port Levy () is a long, sheltered bay and settlement on Banks Peninsula in Canterbury, New Zealand. The current population is under 100, but in the mid-19th century it was the largest Māori settlement in Canterbury with a population of about 40 ...

, he heard in mid 1842 of the large plains to the west of

Banks Peninsula Banks Peninsula is a peninsula of volcanic origin on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It has an area of approximately and encompasses two large harbours and many smaller bays and coves. The South Island's largest cit ...

and travelling up the Avon River by whaleboat, he could eventually see from atop the shoulders of one of his travelling companions the lowland forest that became known as

Riccarton Bush Riccarton is a suburb of Christchurch. It is due west of the city centre, separated from it by Hagley Park. Upper Riccarton is to the west of Riccarton. History On 12 April 1840, the ship ''Sarah and Elizabeth'' landed Herriot, McGillivray, ...

. He exclaimed: "That will do for me! I will make it my home." Deans returned to Wellington and convinced his brother John, who had since emigrated to Nelson and was equally disappointed, to move to Canterbury. In February 1843, William Deans sailed south with two other families (Gebbie and Manson) who also wanted to settle in Canterbury. They took timber for a building with them that Samuel Manson, a skilled carpenter, erected for him. John Deans sailed from Wellington to

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

to buy stock. He arrived in Port Cooper (since renamed

Lyttelton Harbour / Whakaraupō Lyttelton Harbour / Whakaraupō is one of two major inlets in Banks Peninsula, on the coast of Canterbury, New Zealand; the other is Akaroa Harbour on the southern coast. It enters from the northern coast of the peninsula, heading in a pred ...

) in June 1843, having suffered the loss of many animals in the rough passage. 61 cattle, 3 mares and 43 sheep eventually arrived at their farm. In late 1843, Manson built another house. That building is still in existence and is known as Deans Cottage. In December 1846, the Deans brothers signed a 21-year lease with a

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

chief, Te One, for land within of their farm. From 1848, they had to negotiate about land with first the New Zealand Company and then the

Canterbury Association The Canterbury Association was formed in 1848 in England by members of parliament, peers, and Anglican church leaders, to establish a colony in New Zealand. The settlement was to be called Canterbury, with its capital to be known as Christchurch. ...

, after Canterbury had been bought from Māori in

Kemp's Deed Kemp's Deed, also known as the Canterbury Purchase, Kemp's Purchase, or the Ngāi Tahu Purchase, is the purchase of Canterbury, New Zealand, from some Ngāi Tahu chiefs by Tacy Kemp on behalf of the New Zealand Company. It is the Crown's largest ...

. Once a provisional agreement had been arrived at in May 1851, William Deans sailed for Australia to obtain more stock. His ship, the ''Maria'', foundered at

Cape Terawhiti Cape Terawhiti is the southwesternmost point of the North Island of New Zealand. The cape is located 16 kilometres to the west of Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand. Ohau Point, located on the northern tip of Cape Terawhiti and, along ...

and Deans was drowned on 23 July 1851. Earlier in 1851,

George Grey Sir George Grey, KCB (14 April 1812 – 19 September 1898) was a British soldier, explorer, colonial administrator and writer. He served in a succession of governing positions: Governor of South Australia, twice Governor of New Zealand, Go ...

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

had invited Deans to join the

New Zealand Legislative Council The New Zealand Legislative Council was the upper house of the General Assembly of New Zealand between 1853 and 1951. An earlier arrangement of legislative councils for the colony and provinces existed from 1841 when New Zealand became a co ...

. As the council was meeting in Wellington, Deans had declined as it was "quite out of isway". A homestead,

Riccarton House Riccarton House is an historic building in Christchurch, New Zealand. It is part of the Riccarton estate, the first area in Christchurch lived in by white settlers, after which the suburb of Riccarton, New Zealand, Riccarton is named. The house ...

, was built on the Riccarton property in 1856; this was several years after William Deans' death.

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Deans, William 1817 births 1851 deaths Scottish emigrants to New Zealand People from East Ayrshire People from Christchurch Deaths due to shipwreck at sea

William William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...