Spadacrene Anglica | Page 3

that the later editions were all, more or less, abridged or
incomplete, a series of plausible conjectures by later writers founded on
these imperfect editions has evolved a history of Harrogate in this
period which is, as regards the main facts, largely fictitious. The object
of the following biographical notes is, briefly, to restate the history of
Harrogate during the Elizabethan period, in terms of the only reliable
source for such a purpose, and to trace the accumulated errors, as far as
possible, to their origin and source, an inquiry which the reprint of
"Spadacrene Anglica" at the present time makes not inopportune.
No history of Harrogate should be written, unless preceded by a
biographical note of the author of "Spadacrene Anglica," to whom and
to whose work Harrogate doubtless owes its position as the premier
Spa of this country; and it is with no little sense of the fickleness of
fame that one finds his name so little known, and his worth as a writer
unrecognized. As far as I know, no biography has been written
heretofore, nor is his life given in the various collective records of the
lives of British medical men, such as Aikin, etc.[2] The same neglect of
him occurs in the "Dictionary of National Biography," where in view of
the national importance of the Spas of this country, a biography of
Deane might not unreasonably be expected. Here and there one is able
to glean some small scraps of information about him, but the result of

all the gleanings from contemporary records, so far, can be condensed
in a very small compass. It does not seem amiss therefore to record
here what is known of the "father of Harrogate" albeit at present
unrecognized by his off-spring.
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]
Gilbert Deane of Saltonstall,-+-..... dau. of ..... Co. York | Horsfold
under the | bank, near Heptonstall |
+---------------+------------+-------------------------+--+ | | | | Richard
Deane Gilbert Deane of-+-Elizabeth dau. William 3 s.p. Saltonstall | of
Edm. Jennings Roger 4 | of Seilsden in Craven |
+-----------------------+------+----+-----------------------+--+ | | | | | Gilbert
Richard Edmund Deane--Anne Michaell Deane -+-Susan Deane, of the
City dau of Symon s.p. | dau of Bishop of of York, ... Faurie | ...
Bentley Ossory in Doctor of of Leicester, | Ireland Phisick & Widow of
| Marmaduke | Haddesley of | Hull, Alderman +------------------+ | John
Deane, son & heir.
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