DEANS, WILLIAM (1817-51) was the son of John Deans, of Kirkstyle, in the parish of Riccarton, Ayrshire, and was educated at the Kilmarnock Academy and at Mr Jamieson's school at Colmonell. He and his brother JOHN (1820-54) were intended for the law and had already entered their father's office when they became interested in New Zealand. Both accordingly were placed as cadets on good Scots farms to prepare for their colonial life.

William purchased his land orders from the New Zealand Company as soon as they were available (1839) and sailed in the Aurora on 18 Sep to take up his land in the Wellington settlement. He brought several agricultural labourers under engagement to work for him. The Aurora reached Wellington on 21 Jan 1840, beating into the harbour in company with the Sydney schooner Eleanor (Captain W. B. Rhodes). Deans's sections in the town were in St Hill street and in Wharepouri street, but to his mortification he found that the country sections could not be allotted owing to the land purchases not having been completed. Unwilling to waste time in waiting for the removal of doubts of this kind, Deans first joined Jerningham Wakefield and Heaphy in the official exploration overland to Taranaki. He also visited the Wairarapa, but finding no land yet available took contracts for cutting survey lines. Disappointed in this direction, he went with Captain Daniell and others in a small schooner to prospect the South Island. After proceeding as far south as the Bluff, Deans came back determined, if his brother would join him, to establish himself on the plains at the back of Port Cooper.

John arrived at Nelson in the Thomas Harrison on 25 Oct 1842 and, having seen his section there, readily fell in with William's suggestion, trusting to be able later to exchange their Wellington and Nelson land orders for a similar area in Canterbury. William left Wellington 11 Feb 1843 (having obtained the consent of the Governor to his plan) in Sinclair's schooner Richmond. He was accompanied by Samuel Manson and John Gebbie with their families, some livestock and provisions, and timbers prepared for a house. Most of the company disembarked at Port Levy, while Deans, with Manson and a few others, took a whaleboat up the river Avon to a spot where later settlers landed their bricks. In a small canoe they penetrated some distance farther up the river and its tributaries. They landed near the point where the gully crosses Riccarton road, and completed the journey to Riccarton, or Pataringamotu, on foot. There the party made their own bricks and sawed the timber for a house of three rooms, one for the Gebbies, one for the Mansons, and the sitting-room for the Deans brothers. The house was finished in May and the rest of the party were brought across from Port Levy. John meanwhile took passage to Sydney to purchase stock, and on 17 Jun came into Port Cooper in the Princess Royal with 61 head of cattle, three mares, and 43 sheep, which with great difficulty were driven to Riccarton.

Within the year the Deans brothers erected two other houses on their property. Other shipments of stock were imported (1847 and 1850). For the rest of the forties the brothers steadily improved their holding. In 1844 they were milking a score of cows and making cheese and butter for a good market in Sydney. They had also vegetable gardens and an orchard, raised oats, barley and wheat, threshed with flails, and ground wheat into flour for their own needs in a small hand flourmill purchased in Wellington. In 1845 they clipped 130 pounds of wool, which brought 10d a pound. In 1846 Riccarton produced a crop of wheat, 60 to 70 bushels to the acre, and over 30 tons of potatoes from two and a half acres of ground. In 1846 the brothers got leave from the government to lease land from the natives. Year by year the estate was consolidated.

In 1848 the New Zealand Company having purchased most of the surrounding land from the natives for the Canterbury settlement, the Deanses were able to exchange their land orders for land in their own district, and thus obtained a total of 400 acres in Riccarton. In 1849 Sir George and Lady Grey spent a few days with them. By 1850 the brothers were selling 14 bales of wool in London. At the end of the year the first four ships arrived with Canterbury settlers. Meanwhile the Deans brothers were troubled by a misunderstanding with Godley as to their title and they had to dispose of part of their property to obtain money to defend themselves in the courts. Fortunately the Governor used his influence and the dispute was settled.

In Apr 1851 Grey offered William a seat in the Legislative Council, but he declined it as being 'quite out of the way.' In 1851 William Deans left for Sydney in the schooner Maria to obtain more stock. She was wrecked on Terawhiti and he was drowned. In consequence John hurried his visit to his father in Scotland leaving early in 1852. While there he married Jane, daughter of James McIlraith, of Auchenflower, Ayrshire, and they sailed on their return to New Zealand in the Minerva, arriving in Feb 1853.

John now took the lead in the settlement. He, too, was pressed in 1853 to stand for Parliament, but preferred to devote his whole attention to his affairs. He died on 23 Jun 1854, leaving a widow and one son. For many years the estate was worked in trust, until the boy came of age, when he was able to take it over intact.

NZ Archives; NZ C; Cant. O.N.; Deans (p); Acland; Wigram; Godley, Letters; Shortland, 262; E. J. Wakefield; Guthrie Hay; The Press, 20 Jun 1902, 20 Jan 1911, 18 Jan 1900.

Reference: Volume 1, page 116

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