Deane was descended from a family who for many generations lived at Saltonstall, a hamlet in Warley in the parish of Halifax, and whose history appears to have been quite uneventful.[3] Owing to the frequency with which the same Christian names occur in the Parish Registers, it is by no means easy to identify the several families of the name of Deane, but in 1612 the family from which the author of "Spadacrene Anglica" was descended, recorded in the College of Arms a short entry of pedigree, of which a copy is appended. His parents were Gilbert Deane of Saltonstall and Elizabeth, daughter of Edmund Jennings of Seilsden in Craven, and their family consisted of four sons, viz. Gilbert, Richard, Edmund and Symon (twins). The date of birth of Edmund is not known, but the entry of baptism is on 23rd of March 1572.[4] The mother seems to have died at their birth, for the date of her funeral is but two days' later.[5]
Of the brothers of Edmund, Gilbert, the eldest, apparently lived at Saltonstall, and it was his son, John Deane, who eventually became the chief beneficiary under the Will of Edmund. Symon (or Michaell Symon), the twin brother, died at the age of seven years. His remaining brother, Richard, born in 1570, entered Merton College, Oxford, in 1589, and in 1609 succeeded Dr. Horsfall as Bishop of Ossory. He died in 1614.
Edmund also entered Merton College, matriculating 26th March, 1591, and took the degree of B.A. on the 11th of December, 1594. He then "retired to St. Alban's Hall, where prosecuting his geny which he had to the faculty of physic" he was licensed to practise medicine on the 28th March, 1601, subsequently taking his degrees of M.B. and M.D. as a member of that hall on the 28th of June, 1608. He was incorporated at Cambridge in 1614. After taking his degrees in medicine he retired to York and practised in that city till his death in 1640.[6]
Nothing further is known of his life in York, except that Camidge[7] states that he occupied a house adjoining the residence of Mr. Laurence Rawden in the street called Pavement, a name, it has been suggested[8], derived from the Hebrew Judgement seat "in a place that is called the Pavement,"—this being that part of the City of York where punishment was inflicted and where the Pillory was a permanent erection. It is not unreasonable to suppose that this fact was responsible for Deane's tender pity for the "poore prisoners" in his Will.
In 1626, Deane published his "Spadacrene Anglica" which is here reprinted. "Spadacrene Anglica" is a model of lucid and logical exposition. It provides a quaint and interesting epitome of the medical opinion of the day, but it is of more special interest as the source for the earliest history of the Harrogate waters. Its importance from this particular standpoint will be considered later.
Later in the same year Michael Stanhope published his "Newes out of Yorkshire," and in this book he gives a lively description of his journey with Deane to the Well "called at this day by the country people, Tuit Well, it seemes for no other cause but that those birdes (being our greene Plover) do usually haunt the place." The following extract of the first recorded visit to Harrogate will, I think, be of interest.
"In the latter end of the summer 1625, being casually with Dr. Dean
(a Physitian of good repute at his house at York, one who is far
from the straine of many of his profession, who are so chained in
their opinion to their Apothecary Shops, that they renounce the
taking notice of any vertue not confined within that circuit) he
took occasion to make a motion to me (the rather for that he
remembered I had been at the Spa in Germany) of taking the aire,
and to make our rendez-vouz at Knaresbrough to the end wee might be
the better opportuned to take a view of the Tuit-well (whereof he
had sparingly heard) for that it was by some compared to the so
much fam'd Spa in Germany. I was not nice to give way to the
summons of his desire: the match was soon made, and the next day,
accompanied with a worthy Knight and judicious admirer, and curious
speculator of rarities, and three other physitians of allowable
knowledge, we set forwards for Knaresbrough, being about fourteen
miles from Yorke. We made no stay at the towne, but so soone as we
could be provided of a guide, we made towards the Well, which we
found almost two miles from the Towne. It is scetuate upon a rude
barren Moore, the way to it in a manner a continual ascent. Upon
our first approach to the Spring we were satisfied that former
times had taken notice of it, by reason it was encloased with
stone, and paved at the bottome, but withal we plainely perceived
that it had been long forgotten[9], which the filth wherewith it
was choaked did witnesse, besides that through neglect the current
of other waters were suffered to steale into it. Before any
peremptory triall was made of it, it was thought fit first to
clense the Well, and to stop the passage of any other waters
intermixture, which within the compasse of an hour we effected. The
bottom now cleared, we plainely descried where the waters did
spring up, and then the Physitians began to try their experiments.
But, first of all I dranke of it and finding it to have a perfect
Spa relish (I confesse) I could not contain but in a tone louder
than ordinary I bad them welcome to the Spa. Presently they all
took essai of it, and though they could not denie, but that it had
a different smack from all other common waters, most confessing
that it did leave in the pallate a kinde of acidnesse, yet the
better to be assured whether it did partake with Vitrioll, the
prime ingredient in the natural Spa, they mixed in a glasse the
powder of Galls with this water, knowing by experience if this
Minerall had any acquaintance with the Spring, the powder would
discolour the water and turne it to a Claret die; wherein they were
not deceived, for presently (to their both wonder and joy) the
water changed colour, and seemed to blush in behalf of the Country,
who had amongst them so great a jewell and made no reckoning of
it.... You may suppose (being met together at our Inne, where we
found ourselves very well accomodated for our provision) we could
finde no other talke but of this our new Spa.... Three days after
our return to York, Dr. Deane (whose thirst for knowledge is not
superficially to be satisfied) by the consent of his
fellow-physitians sent for a great quantity of the water in large
violl glasses, entending partly by evaporation and partly by some
other chimical means to experiment it...."
It would certainly appear from a perusal of the above, that at the latter end of the year 1625, Deane knew little of the medicinal value of the English Spaw. But such a conclusion is entirely opposed to the dedication and text of "Spadacrene Anglica," which clearly indicates that Deane was a close personal friend of the eminent physicians Dr. Timothy Bright, and Dr. Anthony Hunton of Newark-upon-Trent, who for years had been recommending the waters to their friends and patients. Moreover Deane himself had paid many visits to the English Spaw with the physicians of York, and had been at last induced to commit his knowledge to print. Is it permissible to use imaginative license and see in Deane a humorist who persuaded Stanhope "of taking the aire" while professing no intimate knowledge of the spring, yet going the length of taking the powder of Galls in his pocket to produce a stage effect, which he had never found to fail?[10]